Reverence
by LessTheNever
Summary: This tale is about a woman who finds herself traveling with the Straw Hat Pirates while finding a home for herself. Adventure is found, Romance blossoms, death is inevitable and danger lurks. This story follows the anime and Manga to an extent while more tales of adventure are being added. It takes place just after Fishman Island / Before Punk Hazard. (Spoilers) (OC x Zoro)
1. (I) Unwelcome Guests

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated January 20, 2017

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

 **:)**

* * *

Zoro stretched his arms above his head and let out a yawn. "I guess I fell asleep." he mumbled under his breath while looking out the window of the crows nest.

"You guess you fell asleep?!" Nami shouted from behind him, throwing one of his weights at his head. "We crashed into the side of an island because of you!"

"Because of me!? Aren't you suppose to be the navigator?!" Zoro retorted back angrily.

"It will take at least a day before we can head back out to sea." Robin said, looking out of the window and at the damage that The Thousand Sunny received. "Franky mentioned that it wouldn't be a problem to fix though, and Sanji said that he could take this time to stock up on food." Leaning against the window, Robin looked across the island's surface, "It looks like a quiet village." she noted.

Usopp looked up at the crows nest, spotting the three figures in the window. "Nami doesn't look too happy." he said, holding a hand to his forehead, shading his eyes. The last time they had an accident like this was because he forgot to do something, and long story short, the long nose was glad that he wasn't in Nami's radar this time.

"She forgets that we have the best shipwright on the sea!" Franky said, carrying supplies over his shoulder. "I'll have The Thousand Sunny fixed up in no time!"

"And while we wait, I'll make sure to look for roots and herbs." Chopper decided with a wide grin, putting his arms through the straps of his backpack.

"Nami-Swan," Sanji appeared from the kitchen, a bag over his shoulder, "Robin-Chwan!" Dancing his way to the edge of the deck, he stood on the rail and looked over the town. "I'm off to find you some delicious food to feed your perfect bodies! Wish me luck!"

Nami appeared next to Franky, Zoro's ear between her fingers. "Don't forget to bring this moron with you!" she demanded, shoving Zoro in Sanji's direction.

"And I'll accompany you," Robin said, "if you don't mind, Chopper."

Chopper smiled up at Robin, adjusting his backpack. "I don't mind!"

While Robin and Chopper made it safe onto the sands, Sanji and Zoro shared a more unfortunate ride to the village.

"Wait for me!" Luffy exclaimed. Swinging down from the mast, he crashed right into the cook and swordsman, sending them all traveling into the air and across the town.

"You idiot!" Sanji growled, dusting his pants off as he stood up. "Next time watch out!"

Luffy scratched the back of his head grinning before finding his way to a flag pole, his legs wrapping around it. Scaling up the pole, he shaded his eyes and began to scan the surroundings. From what he could see, there wasn't any sign of life. The Straw Hat continued to look around, but every inch of the town was quiet and appeared to be abandoned.

"Do you see anything?" Zoro asked.

"Nope!" Luffy jumped down beside Zoro and Sanji. "Nothing."

"There has to be someone." Walking away from the rubber man, Zoro began to look around. "It's quiet." He noted. Too quiet in his opinion. There wasn't a single person to be found, but everything was kept up with and clean. Even the plants were watered and cared for.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked, watching Sanji head in a different direction.

"I don't have time to deal with you, moss head." Sanji adjusted the bag over his shoulder. "I'm going to look for supplies," pausing for a brief moment, "and maybe some beautiful women!" He finished with a wild look in his eyes, his eyebrow twitching with anticipation.

While Sanji went in one direction, Zoro and Luffy went in another. Moving from building to building and house to house, yanking on the doors, Luffy began to complain. "Everything is locked!"

Scratching at the back of his neck, Zoro looked around. Luffy was right, the town was not only empty, it was locked up.

"What about that house?" Luffy asked as he pointed his finger towards a large house on the top of a mountain.

It would take at least a couple of hours to climb the mountain if they were regular people, but with Luffy, It only took seconds.

"Wha-No-Stop!" Zoro could barely get a word out and before he could stop him, they were both launched back into the air; this time flying towards the large house.

Zoro climbed out of the brick wall that he was smashed into. "Dammit Luffy!" he shouted.

Luffy disregarded him, holding a hand to his hat and stretching his head back in order to see the entire house. "Woah."

Before Zoro could do anything, Luffy took off running through the hole in the wall and towards the main doors. "Do you smell that?" he drooled. "Food!"

Looking from left to right and back at the doors, he began to call out. "Hello?!" Pounding on the door, he shouted even louder while yanking on the handles. "Heeeeellllooooo!?"

Grumbling insults under his breath, Zoro followed after his captain. There were endless gardens surrounding the front yard, and the trees were covered in fresh pears. The plants appeared to be well kept and groomed just like in the village, and yet there wasn't a gardener in sight.

"Maybe it's abandoned just like the village." Zoro suggested, looking around.

Luffy held his stomach, sniffing the air "But I smell food!"

Zoro sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything."

Yanking the door off it's hinges, Luffy threw it aside and ran in, disregarding the fact that he just broke into someone else's home. The thought of food clouded his mind, and his judgement. The one goal that Straw Hat Luffy had now was to reach his destination and eat the delicious smelling food.

It had been days since they had a real meal, but he couldn't blame anyone but himself and maybe Usopp. They both went through the entire kitchen and devoured everything.

"Your moron!" Zoro shouted, running after him.

"Meat, meat, meat, meat!" Luffy chanted as he ran through multiple corridors in the home. His words carried through the hallway, echoing off the walls. "Oooo-where is the meat?" Pausing in the hallway, he sniffed the air before taking a sharp left and heading down another hallway. "So close, so close!"

"Wait! Luffy! You don't know who lives here!" Zoro shouted after his captain.

He headed down multiple hallways, beginning to get more and more lost. Confused by all the turns, it wasn't long until Zoro found himself in what appeared to be an office. Pausing in the middle of the room, he scratched at his head. "Have I beed in this room before?"

Between the room's surrounding bookshelves and the desk that sat in the center of the room, he couldn't help notice that even though it looked as if it hadn't been occupied in years, there wasn't a speck of dust.

Continuing to observe it, he fixated his eyes on a realistic painting that was hanging on the wall. There were five people in the painting. A young boy with a wide grin across his face, and a clean shaved head, two younger woman who had similar features and long brown hair, an older woman with short purple hair, and a sturdy and tall male who he recognized immediately.

"Dammit."

In that moment, Zoro headed back out and into the confusing hallways, his pace quickening by the second. If Luffy were to take a wrong turn, there would major trouble for the Straw Hat Pirates. Major trouble that they couldn't handle. And with The Thousand Sunny under construction, they wouldn't be able to escape easily.

Taking another sharp turn, "Figures he'd break into his home!" he cursed under his breath.

Finally, as he advanced forward, the scent of food came rushing to his senses, leading him into the kitchen. There he found Luffy who was helping himself to various types of food.

His captain didn't pay mind to him as he continued to empty one plate after another. The table was set up for a feast with plates, forks, knives, spoons, glasses, and more. Even the food was set out and ready to be eaten. Which it was, by his captain.

And he doubted that it was meant for him.

Zoro held the hilt of his sword in his hand. "We have to go now." He insisted.

Not phased by Zoro, Luffy continued to pile meats, vegetables, fruits and whatever else he could find into his mouth. The food was still hot, steaming from the inside. Each bite was heaven to him and he continued to happily inhale it, grinning like a child.

"Luffy, we have to go." Zoro yanked one of the plates from Luffy's hand, but that didn't stop him from reaching out and grabbing another one.

"Try the pear sauce on this."

"Thanks!" Luffy grinned. Grabbing the plate that was handed to him, he shoved the entire dish into his mouth. "That's good!" He drooled, "More, more, more!"

As he demanded more, another plate was handed to him. "Help yourself." The stranger insisted and then directed their attention to Zoro. "Are you going to eat?"

Zoro shook his head, "I'm trying to get out of here before-" Pausing, he faltered and moved his eyes over to the person that spoke. That is when he caught sight of a woman relaxing on the other side of the table.

"Shit."

The woman crossed her arms. "Shit is right."

Luffy looked up at the woman. "Who are you?" He asked with a mouthful of food.

"The hostess apparently." She responded. "Who are you?"

"Luffy and this is Zoro." Luffy introduced casually before shoving more food into his mouth, the table was almost bare due to everything being consumed by him.

At his introduction, the woman took a cautious step back. "Straw Hat Luffy?"

Luffy leaned back in the chair and picked at his teeth. "Yup!" His stomach was now twice his size.

Zoro took a step forward and nudged his head in her direction. "And before you decide to reach for that button, I'd think twice." He threatened in a low voice.

"Eh, Zoro?" Luffy wasn't aware of the situation that they were in and he was completely oblivious at the fact that they were in an enemies home.

Zoro on the other hand knew what position they were in and that this woman wasn't a house servant, or anyone who worked in town. Zoro took note that she was one of the woman who were in the painting that he had seen hanging on the wall.

At Zoro's threat, the woman held her hands up with caution. "What are you doing here?"

"Our ship-" Before Luffy could finish his sentence, Zoro interrupted him. "It's none of your business."

She scoffed and gestured to the half emptied table. "None of my business? You're in my home, eating my food and it's none of my business?"

"We should-" As Zoro began to speak, another voice came from behind him.

"Old sister, is dinner ready yet?" In the kitchen doorway, a small boy appeared, grinning with a noticeable missing tooth.

"Viske," The woman growled, "I told you not to call me old." Turning a sharp eye to the small boy, "And you need to go away," Her voice lowered, "right now."

The boy raised a brow. "Huh?" Looking around her and at their guests, his grin grew wider, "Who are you?"

Not letting either of them respond, the woman stepped in front of the two and blocked them from view. "Viske, I told you that you need to go." She demanded.

"But I'm hungry and Granny Nanny said she was making my favorite!" He complained, trying to peer around her. "Come on! Please! I promise not to bother them!"

Taking a step forward, she pointed her finger towards the door. "I said no."

"And I said that I'm hungry!"

Viske ignored the woman and pretended that he couldn't hear any more of her words. Moving around her swiftly, he took a seat at the table and reached for a plate.

"I'm Viske!" He introduced, piling what food was left onto his plate. "Who are you?"

Luffy shared a brief look with Zoro before turning his attention to the younger male. "I'm Luffy!" He grinned. "And that's Zoro!"

Viske looked between them. "Are you two marines like my uncle?"

"Nope! We're pirates!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning through a mouthful of food.

"Awesome!" Viske shouted, jumping to his feet and punching a fist into the air. He wasn't phased by the fact that the two men were not marines and in fact, dangerous criminals.

Settling back down in his chair, he offered Luffy another plate of food and then began asking any question that came to mind:

"Have you seen the entire world?"

"Have you killed someone?"

"Have you ever been caught by the marines?"

"Of course you haven't, or else you wouldn't be here..."

"Are you stranded?"

"Why are you even here?"

"Are there only two of you?"

"When do-"

Viske was cut short from his questions, a fist slamming into the back of his head.

"You need to shut up!" The woman screamed, reaching down and grabbing his plate of food. "You need to shut up and take this to your-" Before she could finish, Luffy jumped in and started to answer every question that the boy had.

The woman groaned. "This isn't happening." She said, resting a hand on her forehead and letting out a lengthy sigh.

Zoro kept a watchful eye on her. Even though she didn't seem dangerous, he wasn't going to risk her pressing the small red button that rested on the wall behind her.

The conversation between the two lasted for quite sometime. It wasn't until Luffy leaned back in his chair, enormous from the amounts of food he ate, that the conversation came to an end.

Viske took the last bit of food from the table, shoving it into his mouth happily. Once he swallowed, he too, leaned back in his chair.

"Granny Nanny makes the best food! She's the greatest cook in the world!" Viske bragged, picking at the empty spot between his teeth with one hand and patting his stomach with the other.

"No way! You should try Sanji's cooking! He's the best." Luffy objected, wiggling back in forth in the wooden chair.

"Sanji? Is he your cook?" Viske asked, pulling both of his arms behind his head and letting out a lengthy yawn.

Luffy grinned with pride. "Yup! I picked him out especially!"

When Zoro realized that another conversation was about to start up, he took a step forward. "We need to go."

"Already?" Viske jumped up from his seat. "But you just got here! Oh, please don't leave! It's boring without people around!"

"Let them go, Viske." The woman said, stepping around Zoro and moving next to the table. "They've worn out their welcome."

"That's not fair, Ketzia." Viske whined. "You never let my friends stay over!"

Throwing her arms in the air, "They aren't your friends!" She argued. "They are pirates and they broke into our house! What do you think Uncle would do in this situation?"

Viske poked his mouth to the side and mumbled inaudible words under his breath.

Leaning forward, "What was that?" Ketzia pressed, "I couldn't hear you."

"He'd kill them."

"Exactly. And that's what we would do if we could, but we can't... So we need to let them go." She said, waving her hands between each word.

"But uncle isn't here and-"

Ketzia held his lips between her fingers before he could say another word. "And just because he is across the world, does not mean that we are going to ignore his rules."

Viske let out an over dramatic sigh, looking across the table at his new friend. The young boy wasn't eager to let them go. It had been months since he last had contact with anyone.

Puffing his chest out, he shook his head. "No. I want them to stay. I don't care if he doesn't like pirates. He isn't here and I like them."

Ketzia threw her hands up in defeat. "All right," she said, waving a hand towards the kitchen door, "But it's your funeral if Nanny finds them, or Mae"

Viske narrowed his eyes at her. "So, you aren't going to report them?"

"Nope. I don't have time for this, and if you die, you die." She replied, turning on her heel and waving a hand over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

Standing on the chair, Viske pounded a victory fist into the air. "Let's go explore! I can show you my fort!"

Luffy stood up, his large stomach bouncing against the table. "Yeah! Let's go!"

Zoro stared at Luffy in disbelief. And when he got ready to explain whose home they were in and object to exploring the island, his captain was already up and out of the backdoor with Viske.


	2. (II) The Snowball Effect

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated January 22, 2017.

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

Have a wonderful week everyone.

* * *

"And this is where I defend my ship from the Marines!" Viske presented, pointing to a rather impressive tree house.

Luffy's mouth hung open and his eyes grew wide at the sight in front of him. The fort was massive and it had connecting rooms that scattered along and up the tree's trunk. It was decorated in warning signs to the marines and at the very top, a flag hung high, waving in the wind. The Jolly Rodger wasn't clear, but it appeared to be a picture of a leaf with cross bones.

"It's okay." Viske shrugged casually, "But it does't compare to a real pirate ship."

Luffy's thoughts strayed for a moment, his mind wondering back in time to the days when him, Ace and Sabo built their own fort. The memories were painful, and yet they filled his heart with pride. Those days were special to him and they were what made him into the pirate that he is today. If it were not for his brothers and their strong ambitions to become Pirates, Luffy knew that living on his own wouldn't have been easy.

"Do you want to look inside?" Viske asked, looking up at Luffy with a grin.

"Yeah!" Luffy exclaimed. Without waiting for Viske to lead the way, he rushed over to the fort and swung the doddery door open.

Stretching his arm out, "Wait, be-" Before Viske could say anymore, a single net wrapped around Luffy's entire body.

Instantly, he became weak and collapsed to the floor.

Scampering over to his side, Viske knelt down and unwrapped him from the net, tossing it aside. "I have traps around the fort." He said, rubbing the back of his head with a nervous laugh.

"Sea prism stone?" Luffy asked, regaining himself once the net was removed.

Viske stood up and dusted his knees off. "Yup! I borrowed them from my uncle. There are a lot of traps laying around." He said, offering Luffy a hand to help him from the floor. "I use them when I'm at war with Granny Nanny or-" Viske was interrupted, a snowball smacking the back of his head, "-Her!"

"Her?" Luffy raised an eyebrow, trying to peek around him.

"We're at war! Get inside!" Viske shoved Luffy further into the fort, closing the door behind them.

"Man the cannons!" He instructed, pointing to a contraption that was set along the window. "It's time to fight and bring down the marines!"

"The marines?!" Luffy shouted, his eyes widening.

Reaching for a sling shot and loading it with a rotten tomato, he grinned. "Well, my sister."

"Don't hide from me, Pirate! I know that you're in there!"

"You'll never get me!" Viske held his arms outside of the window, blindly shooting the tomato.

Luffy looked around the room and located a crate of old fruits and vegetables. Stretching his arm across the fort, he grabbed a rotten potato and loaded it into the cannon. As he got ready to shoot, he noticed that Viske was staring at him in awe. With realization, he grinned and stretched out his cheek. "I ate the Gum Gum Fruit. It turned me into rubber!"

Viske's mouth fell open in astonishment, "You too?"

"Do you have devil fruit powers?" Luffy asked, taking note to his words.

He frowned, almost pouting. "No. My uncle does though, and my sister."

"Who's your uncle and sister?" Luffy asked.

Before Viske could go into details, snowballs came piling into the fort and stacked up all around them.

His eyes grew wide, and his head was the only part of his body not covered in snow. "She's really going at it! We need to fight back with more power!"

Shivering, "Where did the snow come from?! It wasn't snowing earlier!" Luffy shouted, looking around them.

Narrowing his eyes, Viske peered out of the window. "From her..." Yelping, he ducked down as another snowball came flying through the window. This time, it smacked Luffy in the face, giving him a slight nose bleed.

"Hey!" He cried out, holding his nose.

Viske rolled over and started to laugh. "She got you good!" Suddenly though, his attitude switched entirely around and he became serious. "A crew mate has been injured! We need to stand down! We can't go on-"

"Pirates never give up!" Luffy said, looking at all the snow. Coming up with an idea, he began making snowballs, stacking them into a vast heap.

"What are you doing?" Viske asked, watching as he shaped hundreds of snowballs.

"Fighting snow with snow!" Luffy grinned. Positioning himself, he leaned back and gathered all of the snowballs in his arms.

"Gum Gum rubber snowball cannon!" In seconds, every snowball the pirate had made was thrown out of the window at a lightening speed.

"Wha- Ow! What the-Ow!" The woman from outside couldn't form a complete sentence as she was pummeled by hundreds of snowballs.

Crawling over to the front door, Viske cracked it open and peered out. He couldn't help but laugh as he watched his sister get slaughtered by the snow that his new friend was throwing. They kept flying at a fast pace and he could tell that she was confused.

The last time they had war, Viske could barely get one snowball formed. Now though, thanks to Luffy, multiple snowballs were being thrown in her direction and at a speed that she couldn't keep up with.

Finally, his sister built a wall of snow in defense. With wide eyes, Viske jerked back and closed the door, leaning against it. Looking around briefly, he set his eyes on the ladder in the room and pointed to it. "To the top!"

Luffy stopped what he was doing and looked up at the ladder that Viske was pointing to. Nodding his head, he followed after him and climbed up. They went through a couple of other rooms before they reached the homemade crows nest.

While Viske was looking down at the woman and tossing moldy fruit at her, Luffy was looking around the island. The sight was wide-ranging from the height that were at. Everything could be seen, including The Thousand Sunny.

Pointing in the direction of The Thousand Sunny, "That's my ship!" Luffy exclaimed.

Viske quit throwing things at his sister and drew his attention to the ship that he was pointing to.

His mouth dropped, "That's yours?!" He shouted in disbelief, leaning over the crows nest and staring intently at it.

Luffy crossed his arms over his chest with pride. "It is! And I have the best crew you could find!"

Resting his elbows on the edge of the nest, Viske propped his chin in the palm of his hands. "What's it like?" He asked, keeping and eye on The Thousand Sunny.

Luffy looked down at Viske with a raised brow, "What's what like?"

"Being a real pirate... What's it like?" Viske let out a low sigh, his eyes moving to the sunset, "I want to sail the seas as a pirate... But because of my uncle... I can't."

As Luffy got ready to speak, another voice came from behind them, interjecting their conversation.

"This war isn't over yet, pirate."

"Crap!" Viske turned around, coming face to face with his sister and a rather large snowball.

Laughing, "Crap is right! And now it is time-" His sister paused, tilting her head to the side in confusion, "Viske... Who's your friend?"

"Oh," Viske looked between them and then stepped aside, "this is Luffy! He's a real pirate!" He introduced.

Before Viske could explain the situation, the snowball in his sister's hand shifted and shaped into the form of a spear head. Her expression became hard, and the aurora around her darkened. Within that split second, the spear head was thrown at Luffy.

Luffy was able to dodge the attack, taking a step back. As he did this though, he lost his balance and stumbled down from the crows nest. Catching himself, he hung from the side for a brief moment before springing back up and landing next to Viske.

"What was that for?!" He shouted.

Viske stepped in front of his sister and held out his arms. "He's my friend!"

She took step forward and shoved Viske to the side and behind her. "You need to move."

Before he could argue, a wall of snow was built between them.

Frustrated, Viske began to pound on the frozen wall. "Mae!" He shouted, "Mae!"

Ignoring Viske, she kept her attention on the Straw Hat Pirate, a dangerous look lingering in her eyes. With swift movements, she threw another snow shaped spear head in Luffy's direction. But again, he was able to avoid it and he jumped into a tree branch above her. That didn't stop her from continuing to attack though and she headed straight for him with more force.

As another attack was made, Luffy stretched himself around and grabbed onto the large spear head that was thrown at him. "Gomu Gomu no Neji!" Twisting his arms and legs as if about to do a Gomu Gomu no Tsuchi, he used the spear's force to propel his arms back. And without a second thought, he launched the object forward and back in the woman's direction.

Quickly, she created a solid wall of snow, the spear shattering against the surface. She didn't expect him to use her own attack against her, but she knew that should have. Mae was aware of what the Straw Hat Pirate was capable of. He was known to cause a ruckus is almost every village and the news papers were always on the watch for him; articles being written left and right.

With haste, she began to stir up a blizzard. Snow and wind started to accumulate in seconds. Mae knew that it wouldn't keep Luffy distracted for long, but she took the time to disappear into the snow.

Luffy reached for a nearby tree and pulled himself right out of the blizzard's reach. Holding his hands over his arms, he rubbed them vigorously. "It's so cold!" He shouted between his chattering teeth.

Mae appeared behind him. Reaching her arms around his body, she took him into an embrace.

"Hey, let go of me!" Luffy shouted, jerking between her arms.

Tightening her hold, Mae jumped from the tree branch and towards the ground.

Luffy looked down as they both fell and caught sight of spikes that were made out of solid snow below them. With wide eyes, he struggled a single arm free. "I said," He repeated, using his free arm to stretch and reach for another tree limb, "let go!"

Yanking himself free from Mae's arms, he pulled himself onto the tree branch. His body was ice cold, and he felt like he was going to fall unconscious from her touch and embrace. Shaking himself awake, he looked down and watched as her body struck the spikes. They didn't pierce her though and instead, she disintegrated. And seconds later, the disintegrated snow twirled around in a dance and her body formed back to normal.

"You're strong, but I only need to hold you off for a while." Mae shouted up at him.

Stretching her hands on either side of her, snow began to brew at the center of her palms. As long as she could keep him busy, it wouldn't be long until Ketzia or Nanny would find them. And once that happened, she knew that they would send out a report immediately.

Luffy jumped down from the tree and landed in front of her. Just as he stretched his arm out behind him, something was thrown over his body. "Wha-" Luffy grew weak and instantly fell to the ground. Behind him, Viske stood with his hands resting on his hips.

Straightening up, Mae lowered her hands and grinned. "Good move Viske. It could've gotten ugly if-" Before she could finish her sentence, something was thrown over her and she suddenly became weak in the knees.

Viske smirked, casting his eyes over to an older woman that stood behind Mae. "Good move Granny."

The woman crossed her arms. "It's a good thing you called me and not your uncle." She said.

Mae let out a groan, "Nanny..."

Reaching downward, the older woman grabbed onto the ends of the net and tightened the hold around Mae. "Come on, let's get these two back to the house before they make a mess of things."

"Right!" Viske grinned, looking down at Luffy.

Instead of wrapping the net around his body, like Nanny had done with Mae, Viske took it off and gave him a helping hand.

"Sorry about that." He mumbled, scratching at the back of his neck with a nervous laugh. "My sister tends to get protective and then she gets stupid."


	3. (III) Friends and an Adversary

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **This chapter has been updated October 3, 2016.**

 **More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.**

 **Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.**

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

 **Have a wonderful week everyone.**

* * *

Standing at the edge of a cliff, Zoro scratched the back of his head, "Now where am I?"

It had been hours since he had last seen his captain. He knew that he should have followed Luffy immediately after he left the kitchen, but he didn't. And when he did decide to search for him, he ended up lost.

Even though he had faith that Luffy could take care of himself, they were in dangerous waters and he didn't know what to expect.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, breaking his attention from the ocean. "Zoro, is that you?"

It was Chopper.

"Where's Luffy and Sanji?" He asked, looking around the clearing for any sign of his captain and crew mate.

Crossing his arms over his torso, Zoro shrugged casually, "I don't know."

"Don't tell me you got lost!" Chopper exclaimed, waving his hands in the air dramatically.

Robin looked down at Chopper and then back at Zoro, "We're headed back to the Thousand Sunny." She said, adjusted a basket of herbs in her arms, "You can come with us."

With a breath, he turned his back to them and faced the ocean once more, "I have to find Luffy first."

"I'm sure that he'll be fine on his own," Chopper said thoughtfully, "there doesn't seem to be anyone on this island."

Zoro's eyes narrowed at his words. Reaching a hand for the hilt of his sword out of habit, he looked over his shoulder at the two. "We ran into a couple of marines earlier."

Chopper's mouth dropped to the ground, "Marines?!"

"We didn't see any marines in the town." Robin noted.

Zoro nodded, turning back around and facing them. "At least people who are close to the Marines."

Robin took a side step and turned around, looking into the forest, "Did they seem dangerous?"

"No, but I'm not taking a chance." Zoro said, moving next to her and giving her a side glance, "They aren't just close to _any_ marine."

Chopper walked in between the two and looked up at them, "Who are they close with?"

"Akainu."

Stunned, Robin dropped the basket from her arms, the herbs scattering all over the ground, "What?"

"Luffy found the only house on this mountain and barged in. When I was exploring-"

Chopper interrupted him, "You mean when you were lost?"

Glaring down at him, Zoro continued, "-There was an office with a painted portrait hanging on the wall. Five people were in the painting. One of them was Akainu. We ran into two of the people earlier, and Luffy took off with one of them."

"This isn't good!" Chopper exclaimed, frantically running around the two, freaking out about the situation.

Robin leaned down, "No, It isn't." She said, picking up the basket and collecting the herbs, "What do we do?"

"Find him and get the hell off of this island." Zoro decided, "As much as I'd like to kick Akainu's ass, he's never alone and other marines, even admirals, are bound to follow after him."

Looking over his shoulder cautiously, "Do you think he's on the island now?" Chopper asked.

Robin glanced over her own shoulder, staring off into the distance, "No, or else we'd already have trouble on our hands."

Not waiting for his crew mates, Zoro advanced forward and headed for the forest.

Chopper fixed his backpack, running after him, "Wait! You don't know where to go!"

"I'm going back to the house."

Coming to a stop, Chopper pointed in the opposite direction of Zoro, "You're headed in the wrong direction!"

Robin gave a meek smile, "We passed it on the way here."

Zoro ignored the two, but he changed his footing and headed in the new direction; the right direction.

The sun had already set and even though it was dark, it took them less than five minutes to find the house.

Standing on either side of the wall that Zoro had previously been thrown into, Chopper looked up at Robin, "How about I stay and keep watch while you two go?"

Robin leaned over and peered through the hole. The front yard was empty and there wasn't any sign of life. "Alright."

"Do you hear that?" Zoro asked, standing completely still and listening to their surroundings, "It sounds like-"

"-a fire." Robin finished, looking up at the sky.

A faint cloud of smoke could be seen from behind the house. It wasn't thick enough to indicate that the fire was out of control, but it still left them curious.

Without another word, Zoro advanced forward and moved through the hole. He was keen to find out exactly what was burning.

Looking down at Chopper, "We'll be right back." Robin assured him.

Pursing his lips and looking away, "Maybe I should go with you." He said, adjusting his backpack.

She smiled, "All right, lead the way."

The two followed after Zoro and wandered around the side of the house. And as they grew closer to the fire, a peculiar scent intoxicated the air.

A familiar scent.

"Food?" Chopper mumbled, moving behind a bush and looking over it.

Zoro nodded, "And booze."

Hiding behind a tree, Robin peered around it and then let out a sigh, "He's okay."

"Figures he'd be eating." Zoro mumbled, watching as his captain gnawed on a piece of meat.

Before giving away their location, the three pirates observed the scene in front of them.

An older woman, who Zoro recognized from the portrait, was seated on a log in front of a burning fire. She was wearing a pair of pants and a blue button up blouse that showed more than enough, her breasts perked up by a yellow bra. Her expression showed enjoyment as she talked to their captain, the wrinkles around her eyes crinkling as she let out a loud laugh. She didn't seem threatening, and she didn't appear to be on guard.

Next to Luffy was a young boy, who Zoro also recognized. It was Viske. He was seated next to Luffy with a wide grin across his face. It was obvious that he was enjoying the company of his new friend. And it looked like Luffy had influenced him more than he might have realized; the young boy supporting a pair of blue jean shorts and a red tank top.

When Robin deemed it safe, she appeared from behind the tree and offered a kind smile, "Luffy, we've been looking for you."

Everyone's laughter came to a stop and their attention immediately turned to the new bunch that surfaced from behind the trees.

Luffy was the first one to stand up, "Robin! Zoro! Chopper!"

Chopper hesitantly followed after Robin, "Are you okay?" He asked, hiding behind her leg and looking around.

"Yup!" Luffy waved the piece of meat in his hand around, "Granny was just telling me about her adventures on the sea!"

The older woman stood up, "Call me Nanny." She said, holding her hand out towards Robin, "You must be Robin."

Robin smiled, placed the basket that she had been holding onto on the ground and then took her hand, "Yes."

Once she released her hand, Nanny knelt down and looked between Robin's legs at Chopper, "And you must be Chopper? I've heard wonderful things about your work!"

Instantly, Chopper blushed and swatted the woman away bashfully, "Oh shut up you dummy! I'm not that great!"

Pulling herself back up, Nanny let out a soft laugh and then turned her attention to the dark figure behind the two.

"And you must be Zoro!"

He didn't respond. Instead, Zoro stayed where he was, leaning against a tree in the distance and keeping a weary eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Dismissing him with a wave of the hand, Nanny moved back to the log and sat down while gesturing for them to follow, "Take a seat. Enjoy some food and a drink."

"We shouldn't." Robin denied kindly.

"Don't be foolish!" Nanny said, holding a bottle out to Robin, "We have plenty!"

"She's right. They shouldn't." A new voice came from behind them.

Nanny grinned sheepishly. "Mae, you're awake already?"

"No thanks to you." She snapped, "What were you thinking? What are you thinking? Do you realize who these people are, and what they are?"

Nanny casually laughed at the young woman. Lifting her own bottle of rum to her mouth, she took a long swig and finished it off. Once she broke with a breath, she tossed the bottle aside and nudged her head towards Mae, "Don't mind her. She actually likes pirates, unlike her sister Ketzia," She explained, tossing Mae her own bottle, "She's just over protective when it comes to Viske."

Mae caught the bottle and looked down at it with a frown. She was frustrated, but she knew better than to argue with Nanny and with a defeated sigh, she took a seat next to her.

"That a girl." Nanny smiled, patting Mae on the knee.

Mae didn't respond. Rather, she popped open the bottle and tossed the lid into the fire. When she noticed the bottle was warm, which is how Nanny preferred her liquor, Mae subtly used her power to chill it. Once it was as cold as ice, she brought it to her lips and took a drink.

Nanny watched Mae for a brief moment and then turned her attention back to the Straw Hats, "So, what brings you to this island? I doubt you'd actually be crazy enough to come here on your own."

"Our ship received some damage off shore," Robin explained, "and we aren't able to sail until it's fixed."

"Franky should have it fixed by tomorrow! So we won't be here long!" Chopper added, reaching for some food before Luffy had a chance to eat it all.

Nanny bobbed her head thoughtfully, "That's a shame, but at least you came here on a good day."

Grabbing his backpack, Chopper pulled out a few things that he had collected, "I was able to find and collect some herbs. You guys have plants that I haven't seen in a while!"

"Help yourself." Nanny smiled, "We have plenty to spare."

"Can I ask," Robin began, "what do you mean by, came here on a good day?"

"Ah," Nanny hummed, taking a swig of her drink, "Did you notice how every building is locked up, and it's a ghost town?"

Luffy leaned back, resting against one of the logs with a full stomach, "Yeah. What's up with that, Granny?"

"This island is a vacation port for Marines. A circulation of marines come here three times a year. In the spring, summer and winter. When they are not here, the town is under lock down." Nanny explained, finishing off her entire bottle in one gulp and tossing it aside.

Robin was surprised, "But the plants and even the gardens are well kept. You can't possibly keep up with everything yourself."

"You're right. That would be impossible. The four of us do not take care of the island. We are more so, the Inn keepers. The Island Keepers if you may. Lower class marines take care of the island. Between the three months, a ship of officers come and do chores. They take care of the gardens, pick up trash, exedra. A group of marines were actually just here."

"It's spring now," Chopper said with realization, his eyes widening, "Won't more marines show up?!"

"Yes, but you don't have to worry. If you are gone by tomorrow, you won't run into any ships. They aren't due for a couple more days. And that is why I mentioned that you came on a good day."

Robin sighed with relief, "That's good. We don't need trouble."

"And neither do we." Nanny frowned. "The last time we had a group of pirates here, they were unruly. And they wouldn't leave for days. They caused a ruckus in their path and because of that, Ketzia alerted the marines. It wasn't long until they came and this entire island was nearly destroyed by the fighting. It took an entire year to rebuild it."

"Speaking of Ketzia," Mae mumbled, "where is she?"

Viske shrugged, "She said to leave her alone and that she didn't want any part in this."

"I'd expect that from her." Nanny grinned and then looked over at Mae, "Feel better? They aren't dangerous."

Mae offered a mocked smile in Nanny's direction, "I feel dandy."

Nanny put a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, "She's sorry for earlier, Luffy. She won't say it, but she is. Mae is very protective over us, especially Viske. I suppose when she saw you, her motherly instinct kicked in and she assumed that you were like all the other pirates who pay us an unfriendly visit."

Luffy stretched back and let out a long yawn, "I forgive her."

Smiling, "So it's as simple as that? I knew that there was something I liked about you." she said, watching him.

"She didn't hurt my crew and I'm fine." He shrugged.

Robin and chopper looked between Luffy and Mae, but they didn't ask what happened.

"Here," Nanny shoved a bottle of rum into Mae's hand.

Mae looked at the new bottle and then at that bottle that she was still holding onto, "I haven't finished this one yet." She said, attempting to give it back.

Refusing to take it back, Nanny nudged her head towards Zoro, "He looks like he could use a drink."

Confused, "Who?" Mae asked, turning her attention to the figure in the background.

Resting a hand on the crook of the young females back, Nanny gave her a slight push, "Him. Now go."

Mae was reluctant, but she knew that Nanny would ignore any protest. Looking at the bottle in her hand and then at the pirate that rested against a tree, she let out a sigh. She could tell that he was on guard. Tightening her breath, she waited a brief moment before taking her first step and moving over to him.

As the leaves and twigs snapped beneath her feet, his eye sharpened and landed on her.

Keeping a distance from him, Mae tossed the bottle in his direction, "Here."

Zoro caught the bottle, his eye never leaving hers. Removing the lid with his thumb, he brought the rum to his mouth and took a sip. The taste was bitter on his tongue, but a relief. Luffy caused him stress, but with a little rum, it could bring him some enjoyment.

"We haven't told Luffy about our uncle." Mae said, hesitation between each word.

Zoro didn't say anything in return. Instead, he continued to drink while keeping a firm eye on her.

Coming to the conclusion that he wasn't dangerous, Mae moved to the tree next to him and rested her eyes on the group. They all continued to laugh and share great memories with each other. At times, Luffy and Viske would go into their own conversation.

On edge, Mae took a drink from her bottle, and then another. The taste of rum always settled her stomach, and it helped calm her down.

Looking up at Zoro, she inspected him before turning her attention back to the group. "Viske likes him." She said, "He's never had a friend, only family."

Zoro glanced at Mae from the corner of his eye, letting her know that he was listening.

"Viske loves his uncle, but he hates the marines. Isn't that funny?" She then frowned, "He has no idea what happened those years ago, but we do. We know what he did to Luffy... To his brother."

Zoro looked over at Luffy and then at Viske. He noticed that a bond was forming between the two of them. "Luffy won't hold a grudge against Viske for something Akainu did."

"You're right. Your captain doesn't seem like that type of person." Mae took another drink, "But I don't want to risk tension, so I'm not going to mention it. None of us are going to."

Watching her younger brother, Mae let a smile cross her lips, "We want to make sure that Viske keeps a positive-"

Before she could continue, Zoro inturrupted her, "His life won't always be positive. Whether he becomes a pirate or a marine."

She sighed. "I know. And I know that I can't protect him forever."

Finishing off her bottle of rum, Mae tossed it aside. Without hesitation or thinking about it, she stretched her arm out and took a hold of Zoro's bottle and snatched it right out of his hand.

Zoro was taken back by this and sent a sharp stare in her direction, but he didn't say anything.

Ignoring his stare, she took a long drink. When she finished, she shoved the bottle back into his hands and stood upright. Adjusting the shirt she wore, she waved a hand over her shoulder and walked back to the fire pit with the rest of the group.

Zoro looked at the bottle and then tilted it upside down. Nothing but a drop came out. Sighing, he dropped it to the ground and took a seat against the tree. He decided to rest his eyes for a while. He wasn't sure how long they would be there and he was getting bored.

When Mae came back to the group, she looked around at everyone. While Chopper and Nanny were sharing information about the different types of plants on the island, Luffy was off to the side with Viske, teaching him a few fighting moves.

Taking a seat on one of the logs, Mae reached down and grabbed another drink. Robin, who was positioned in front of her, offered a smile.

Mae smiled in return, saluting the bottle in cheers and then opened it up and took a mouthful. This had to be one of her favorites nights in a long time.

Brushing a strand of hair over her shoulder, she leaned back and took in the midnight view. Even though the fire was vibrant and bright, every star in the sky could be seen.

"How old is he?" Robin suddenly asked, breaking the silence between the two of them.

Mae adjusted her head upright and brought her attention to Robin, "He's ten." She smiled.

"He's fond of our captain."

Mae turned her eyes to the two boys, "Yeah, I guess he is."

"And he wants to be a pirate. Such big talk for someone related to a fleet admiral." Noting the look on Mae's face when she mentioned the admiral, Robin leaned back and drew her gaze to the sky, "Don't worry. We won't tell Luffy. Not yet anyway."

"Thanks." Mae mumbled, her chest falling heavy as she released a long breath.

All of the sudden, Chopper jumped up from his spot, "And what do you do if there's an accident?!" he exclaimed, bewildered.

Nanny, who had an amused expression, laughed and shook her head, "We have to call a doctor. We don't have any on the island."

The reindeer's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. "You have to call one?! How long does it take?! What if it is a serious matter?! Then what do you do?! Can you perform surgery?!"

Mae interjected, "We have to wait. And it can take longer than a day for someone to get here."

Laughing, "And none of us can perform a surgery." Nanny explained.

"That's not safe!"

Nanny dismissed him with a simple hand wave. "It's been like that for years."

Before Chopper could asked anymore questions, Ketzia came rushing over to the group, "We have a problem!" she breathed.

Immediately, everyone stopped what they were doing and gave her their attention.

Leaning forward, Ketzia put one hand on her knee while she used the other to fan herself, "He's... He's..."

"He's," Nanny pressed, "He's what?"

Ketzia flung her head back and took in one last breath, "He's..."

It was right then when Mae realized what was going on and what Ketzia was attempting to tell them. With a dreadful expression, she turned to the older woman and said two words that neither of them wanted to hear.

 _"He's here."_


	4. (IV) In need of a Doctor

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **This chapter has been updated October 5, 2016.**

 **More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.**

 **Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.**

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

 **Have a wonderful week everyone.**

* * *

Everyone stood in silence for quite sometime.

After a moment, Nanny took the initiative and spoke first, "Is it true?" She asked Ketzia, "Is it him?

Ketzia was hesitant to speak. Her eyes moved from one person to the next, an anxious feeling rising in her stomach. She didn't like the fact that all their attention was on her.

Mae turned around on the log, "Well," she urged, pressing for an answer, "Is it?"

Swallowing, Ketzia drew her attention the ground and cleared her throat. "Yeah."

Roughly scratching at her scalp, ruffling her hair into a mess, Mae shifted from her spot and began to pick up trash. "It figures he'd come without a warning."

"He can do as he pleases, he does have control over this island." Nanny pointed out, shuffling her foot over the extra foot prints, covering up the fact that they had guests.

Glancing over her shoulder, "How many ships are at the port?" Mae asked, looking in Ketzia's direction.

Ketzia swung up one finger, "One." She answered, catching a short gaze with her.

Out of the blue, Viske shot up from his spot on the ground and stomped over to Ketzia, "You told!" He hollered at her with disgust, "You told didn't you!"

Taken back by his abrupt outburst, "Excuse me?" Ketzia said, staring down at the young boy, "I did not contact the marines."

Viske poked his finger into her chest, "I don't believe you, old lady."

Ketzia raised her hand and got ready to slap Viske. As it came down though, Mae appeared next to her and caught her by the wrist, "We don't have time for your constant bickers."

"Yeah." Viske mocked, sticking his tongue out at her. "We don't have time."

Growling, Ketzia fought her wrist free and threw her hands into the air. "You're such a pain." She exasperated, moving over to Nanny and assisting her with the fire.

Taking a hold of Viske's tongue, "You need to be more respectful." Mae said, forcing back a smile.

"I don't like her though."

Mae knelt down and pushed Viske's forehead with the palm of her hand, "You have to like her, she's your sister."

"Not by blood." Viske mumbled, swatting her away.

"That," Mae said, using the top of his head for support as she stood up, "Doesn't matter."

Viske shrugged without a care and turned around, watching as the pirates began to collect themselves and gather together. He hated to see them go so soon.

Robin knelt down and picked up the basket of herbs, "We're sorry if we caused you any trouble."

"Trouble?" Nanny waved a dismissing hand, "It's been a pleasure. We haven't had such interesting guests in a while."

"Hey, I haven't finished eating yet!" Luffy complained as Ketzia started to pack up the food and throw scraps away.

"I don't care." She muttered, grabbing food from him, "You have to go."

"Who's here anyway?" Luffy asked, secretly reaching into one of the bags for a piece of meat in the process.

Ketzia opened her mouth and prepared to explain the situation, but when she noticed Mae signaling for her not to say anything, she closed her mouth and went back to cleaning.

Mae watched her sister for a moment and then looked over at the crew, "Our uncle." She answered.

Luffy fixed his straw hat, "Who's your uncle?" He pressed for more answers.

Nanny threw a wet blanket over the fire, not bothering to look at him, "A marine." She responded, being as vague as possible.

Chopper spoke up, fiddling with the straps on his bag anxiously, "We should head out before he finds us."

"Don't worry. He doesn't typically come here when they first dock. He takes his time." Nanny assured the group, "But, it would be better if you left as soon as possible."

"You can scale along the island's edge until you reach your ship." Ketzia informed them, pointing to the right and in the opposite direction of the town. "You're ship isn't at the port. I caught sight of it docking in the cove, which is to the East and thirty minutes out."

Viske sat on the ground with an over exaggerated groan, "Do they have to leave!" He complained, propping his elbows on his knees and his chin in the palm of his hands.

"Yes," Mae told him, reaching down and grabbing his forearm. "And you," She added, yanking him back up, "Need to take down your pirate flag."

Viske's eyes widened in realization, "I almost forgot about that!"

"You _did_ forget." Mae scolded him. "And you know that you're supposed to take it down every night."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you didn't encourage him." Ketzia muttered, shoving into Mae's shoulder as she walked by.

Mae rubbed at her shoulder, "At least I give him encouragement." She whispered under her breath.

Shifting his eyes to the ground, "It's not fair." Viske mumbled, "Why do they have to go and why can't I keep my flag up?"

Patting him on the head, "Life isn't fair." Mae smiled, "And you _know_ why they have to go and you _know_ why you have to take your flag down."

"All right you two," Nanny interjected, "you need to go _now_. He _will_ see the flag if you _don't_ take it down." She encouraged, pushing them both by the crook's of their back.

Before Viske could be pushed any further, he ducked down and hopped over to Luffy and his crew. Coming to a stop in front of them, before they could venture off, he offered a wide grin. "Promise to come back? Someday?"

Chopper shook his head miserably, "I don't know if I want to come back here! Not an island made for marines!"

Robin reached out and rested her hand on Viske's head, "We'll see you again." She smiled, "On the sea."

Waving toward Nanny, "Thanks for the food!" Luffy shouted, "It was real good!"

"And the booze." Zoro added, holding up a bottle that he snatched up for the venture back to the ship.

Nanny waved in return, "Any time. I'll make sure to have plenty for your next visit."

Mae met with Viske and stood by his side, offering a meek smile in the pirate's direction. "You better go."

In agreement, Robin turned around and faced everyone else, "Are we ready?"

Fixing his backpack, Chopper stood straight up with eagerness, ready to leave. "Yup!"

As the Straw Hat Pirates took off and disappeared into the forest, the three women and Viske went to work.

While Nanny and Ketzia moved on and began cleaning up the remaining mess around the fire pit, Mae and Viske headed out and advanced forward, moving quick to get to the tree fort.

Even though the fort wasn't in the open, the height of it was visible and the flag could be seen from certain points of the island. They could not risk it being found or else it would mean trouble.

Climbing over a fallen trunk, "You should have taken it down already." Mae scowled her brother, helping him over the log.

Viske swatted her away, jumping over it without her help. "It's your fault," he paused, "technically."

Choking on a laugh, Mae turned around and started to walk backwards. "My fault?" She asked, "How is it my fault?"

"You started a fight with Luffy, and because of that I was distracted and," He hummed, trying to collect his thoughts, "It's just your fault." He concluded.

"All right," Mae winked, "it's my fault. Now come on, we need to hurry." Turning around, she continued forward, working her way to their destination.

Viske nodded and followed close behind, looking behind them ever so often. In the back of his mind, he was hoping that he'd see Luffy walking by. Of course, the more he looked back, the more disappointed he became.

Mae stopped in her tracks when she observed Viske from the corner of her eye and caught him sulking. With a smile, she took herself down on one knee and turned on her heel to face him. Holding a hand up, she pressed it to his chest and prevented him from moving.

"I know that you're going to miss him," She frowned, gently punching his jaw, "But just think about it, once you go out onto the sea, you'll be able to see him again."

"Do you really think that I'll be a pirate one day?"

Mae reached her arms around him and pulled him into a warm hug, "I know that you're going to grow up to be the greatest pirate to ever sail the sea." She assured him.

There wasn't anything that would keep Mae from protecting him.

Viske brightened up, "You're gross."

"And you're a brat." She retorted, standing back up. "Come on, how about a race?" She challenged.

"You're on." Viske accepted, giving her an unbending stare.

With a provoking and playful shove, Mae gave herself a head start and took off running as quick as she could.

In the background, she could hear Viske's voice raise up, "That's cheating!"

It took her less than five minutes to reach the tree fort, beating Viske by a long shot. When she arrived, she stumbled upon an unforgettable sight. In horror, she collapsed to her knees and watched as it was swallowed up in flames, the fire licking its way across the wood at a rapid speed.

It was obvious who had done this.

Sweat beaded across her forehead, the heat searing the air. Even with the distance that she put between herself and the fire, it felt like she were standing in the middle of it.

Using her devil fruit powers, she lowered her temperature and stood back up. In that second she knew that she had to come up with a plan to keep Viske from seeing it. If he were to come across this, she was positive that he'd be absolutely devastated.

As she turned around to head back and find her brother, she came face to face with him.

It was too late.

In front of her, he stood with a look of terror, his voice breaking as words struggled to be found.

Holding out two hands in order to prevent him from going any further, Mae faltered, only able to whispered his name. "Viske."

"What did you do?!" He screamed, a petrified look washing over him, "What did you do?!"

"Nothing! Viske, he found it. He found it and we need to go before we get caught in this mess." Mae demanded, taking a towards him.

Viske followed her footing and backed away from her. "But," He whimpered, "You can stop it! Use your power! Use your snow!"

"It won't work! The fire is too thick! And can't you see, it's lava! Snow can't overcome it!" She shouted back, waving a hand behind her and motioning towards the molten lava that dripped from various spots on the fort, "We need to get out of here, _now_." She urged, ushering him in the opposite direction.

Viske, being headstrong, stood where he was and refused to move. "Do you know how long it took us to build this?!" He cried out, "Don't you care?!"

"Of course I care." Mae snapped, "But I care more about your life."

She prepared to pick him up. If he was refusing to move on his own, then she would carry him and remove him from the danger.

As she leaned down and moved to wrap her arms around him, he took a sudden step back. His eyes darted between her and the flag that was on the top of the crows nest.

Furrowing her brows, Mae looked over her shoulder. When she understood and pieced together what he was contemplating, she whipped her head back around, "No."

Viske bit down on his lip. He was hesitant at first, but it wasn't seconds later until he did something that Mae should have expected.

He ran towards the fort.

Mae turned around in horror, "Viske!" She screamed, watching as he disappeared into the smoke.

The fire grew by the minute, engulfing the entire fort in flames. The rotten wood burnt so quick, that it appeared to be melting. And the smoke that surrounded the entire clearing was so thick, it blocked any sight of Viske.

Mae wasn't aware of her own actions when she moved closer to the flames. She raised her arms up in defense as they flicked angrily at her, as if pushing her back. The closer she got, the more smoke she inhaled, the fumes overwhelming her lungs.

She heaved for air and then screamed, "Viske!" Her voice was growing more hoarse, a fit of coughs following after her constant cries for her brother.

Raising her hands up, she began to enclose the fire with a blizzard. The fight between her snow and the magma was cruel. And even though she knew that the snow would not be enough to stop it, she continued to push forward and fight it.

Her lungs burned as smoke built up in them, suffocating her. And after fighting the flames for so long, the battle finally came to an end. It was clear to Mae what she had to do. If the snow wasn't going to stop the mess, then she had to take action and find him.

As she readied herself and prepared to make a rescue for her brother, someone stepped in front of her. She tried to see who it was, but her vision was clouded from the smoke and she couldn't make the figure out.

"Stay here." A voice suddenly demanded.

"But," Mae fought a cough, and before she could protest, the figure was already gone.

She was anxious, but she forced herself to stay where she was and in dismay, she fell forward onto her knees and bowed her head.

"Viske."

Time went on and the longer Mae waited, the more her stomach twisted and turned. The hope she had, was beginning to fade.

How could she have let this happen.

Just as the last knot tightened inside of her, a shadow surfaced from the distance. Right then, Mae stumbled to her feet and advanced forward, keen to see what happened. It was then, as the figure came closer, that she caught sight of Viske.

A gasp escaped her and she rushed forward, taking the young boy into her arms. Collapsing to the ground, she held him close and examined him from top to bottom. His clothes were burnt and they barely covered his body, blisters running up and down his small form.

"Viske." She whispered, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "You're an idiot.

"Get him to a doctor."

Pulling away from Viske, Mae looked up and caught a short gaze with a familiar face.

It was Zoro.

"You."

Zoro wiped a hand over his forehead, looking down at them. "You need to get him to a doctor." He repeated. His first thought was to take him to Chopper, but he decided against it. They didn't need to risk their lives for someone they barely knew.

Mae surveyed his body, "What about you?" She asked, "You're pretty beat up."

Zoro looked down at his own clothes. They were burnt and he even had a couple of blisters, but the damage wasn't severe. "I'll be fine."

* * *

Franky raised a wrench to his forehead and saluted, "Give me a couple of hours and we'll be ready to set sail!"

"Do we have a couple of hours?" Usopp asked, nervous about their situation.

Nami examined the cove walls and brought her attention to the top, "We should be fine." She said with optimism.

"It's a good thing that Brook noticed the Marine's before they noticed us." Sanji said, handing Nami a glass of ice tea, "That would have been trouble we didn't need."

"I'm surprised they didn't see us!" Brook exclaimed, jumping down from the cove wall and landing next to the group.

"Did you see anything?" Sanji asked, "Are they still unloading boxes?"

"That's not all I saw," Brook sighed, "It's one marine after another!"

"How many do you think there are?!" Usopp articulated, jogging in place, "What do we do?!"

"Hey you guys!" Suddenly, Luffy appeared at the top of the cove with Robin and Chopper behind him.

Nami felt a wave of relief when she saw the three, "Where have you been?"

Usopp waved up at them eagerly, "We were worried!"

Brook nodded in agreement, "When the marines showed up, we weren't sure if you'd make it back without being seen!"

Luffy was the first one to bounce down onto the deck, "Did you find anything to eat?!"

Chopper followed after him, "You just ate!" He declared, waving his arms in the air.

Gesturing toward an empty bag, "There wasn't anything to bring back." Sanji informed his captain.

Smiling, Robin came down last and took a spot next to everyone. "We're fine, but we should leave as soon as possible."

With a raised brow, Usopp looked around and then up, "Where's Zoro?"

Everyone shared a glance.

Robin examined the cove walls, "He was just behind us."

Chopper took off his backpack, looking around in disbelief, "How could he get lost?!"

"Figures." Nami sighed. "Let's focus no the marines that are just off shore. Zoro can handle himself."

"Speaking of marines," Robin mumbled, "I have something that I need to tell you."

Leading Nami to the other side of the ship, Robin used the time she had to explain the situation to her and update her on what had happened to them while they were exploring the island.

While Nami and Robin kept to themselves, the rest of the group were now surrounding Zoro who appeared on the deck moments ago.

"What happened?!" Chopper exclaimed, examining the burns along Zoro's arms.

Zoro walked around him, "Nothing." He responded, moving across the deck.

Chopper moved along with him, "But you're burnt! We need to take care of these right away before they get infected!"

"Did the marines attack you?" Brook asked, circling Zoro and inspecting his wounds.

Usopp held his chin, "You're being vague!"

With a forced sigh, Zoro faced them. "When we were heading back, I noticed smoke in the distance." He began, pushing Chopper away as the reindeer attempted to treat his wounds, "When I went to see what was going on, I found a building and it was on fire."

"A building?" Usopp mumbled against a fist, "What kind of building?"

"Some kind of fort." Zoro answered, "When I was about to turn back, I saw someone trying to put out the fire. It was someone we met earlier."

"Who was it?" Brook pressed on, "Was it a marine?"

"I don't remember their name, but they had devil fruit powers. They were using it against the fire."

Luffy perked up immediately, "Mae!" He chimed in, "She has devil fruit powers!"

Usopp and Brook's mouths dropped to the floor, "You met someone with devil fruit powers?!"

Chopper too, opened his mouth wide, "She had powers?!"

Ignoring them, Zoro continued. "She wasn't trying to stop the fire from burning the building, she was trying to save the kid."

"What?" Luffy's eyes widened, "Viske?! Is he okay? We need to go save them!"

"They're fine." Zoro assured him, "They're probably on their way home now."

Chopper's eyes shifted to the ground and stared at it as his mind echoed over a previous conversation that he had with Nanny and Mae.

Suddenly, he raised his eyes and looked around at everyone. "I need to go back." He said with urgency.

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed, "You can't go back!"

"It's my duty as a doctor!" Chopper argued. "I have to help anyone in need! And Viske needs me!"

"They have doctors." Zoro said, "He'll be fine."

Chopper shook his head, "No. They don't. Or at least, they might not. Nanny said that they have to call for one. And since there weren't any injuries at first, I doubt that marine ship brought any with them!"

"I'm sure they brought a doctor with them." Nami interjected, joining the conversation.

Stubborn and determined, Chopper took a step forward and looked up at the cove. "I'm not going to take that chance. I'm going to make sure that he is okay."

If Zoro was burnt this severely, Chopper could only imagine the damage that the young boy suffered inside and out. Not only were burns to the body a risk, the fumes that he inhaled would be a threat as well.

Nothing would change Chopper's mind, not even the risk of running into the fleet admiral.

Luffy stepped next to him and held a hand to his forearm, raising a fist, "Then I'm going with you."


	5. (V) Chopper to the Rescue

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated October 12, 2016.

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

Have a wonderful week everyone. :)

* * *

Leaning against her brother's bedroom door, Mae watched silently as Nanny took care of his injuries, dabbing at them carefully with a rag. He was in terrible shape and his body was covered in first-degree, second degree, and third degree burns. The damage was severe and she knew that it would take more than just a wet wash cloth to fix him from top to bottom.

In spite of the migraine that pounded aggressively in her temple, Mae knocked her head repeatedly against the door's frame in self-reproach, "This is my fault." She mumbled, "I should have stopped him."

Ketzia squeezed passed her, "You're right, this is your fault." Moving over to Nanny's side with a fresh bowl of water, she set it down and then turned to Mae, drastically waving a hand towards Viske, "What were you thinking?"

At her words, Mae stopped pounding her head against the door and looked downward, gnawing on her lower lip. She then took in a deep breath, restraining herself from saying something that she might regret. There was already enough tension in the room, and the last thing she wanted to do was thicken it.

Before a fight could break out, Nanny paused what she was doing and looked between the two girls, "This isn't anyone's fault." She assured them, "It was an accident."

Ketzia turned her back on Mae and faced Nanny, "I talked to a couple of marines in town." She said, changing the subject.

"And?" Nanny hummed, bringing her attention back to the burns and inspecting them thoroughly.

"A doctor won't be in here for a couple of days."

Nanny nodded, "I assumed that would be the case" She said, rinsing the rag out in an old bowl of water, "We'll have to keep an eye on him until then."

Ketzia took a seat at the end of the bed, careful not to touch Viske, "Did you talk to him?"

Ushering her from the bed, "Yes I did." Nanny responded, tossing the rag into a pile of already used ones.

Mae finally took a step into the room, "And?" She asked, nervously tangling her fingers behind her back, "What did he say?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Ketzia repeated, "What does that mean?"

"It means," Nanny said firmly, "that we don't bring this up to your uncle ever again."

Ketzia frowned, "And by bring it up, you mean-"

"I mean," Nanny collected all of the dirty rags from the bedside table and piled them into the old bowl of water, "don't talk about it and don't mention it."

After a moment of silence, Mae moved over to Nanny's side and grabbed the bowl of rags, "How's he doing?"

"Viske?" The old woman let out a sight, "He's okay. The only thing that I'm worried about is his leg." Standing up, she raised the sheet from his lower half.

Ketzia instantly clenched a hand over her mouth when the sheet was moved, "That looks terrible." She gagged, turning her head away.

Mae's eyes wavered when she took in the sight. Along his calf was a fourth-degree burn that seared through his tendons and right down to the bone. Swallowing, she turned her eyes elsewhere and tried to ignore the guilt that sunk in the pit of her stomach. "Will he be okay?"

Leaving the blanket off of his body, Nanny dusted her hands on her pants and faced the two, "He'll be fine, but he needs rest."

"All right." Ketzia nodded, "Should we take turns watching over him?"

Mae perked up immediately, "I'll stay with him tonight."

Nanny reached out, brushing her hand over her cheek, "I'll check on you two in the morning then."

Mae offered a faint smile and then looked over her shoulder at Viske, "I'm going to take this to the kitchen and grab him a fresh cup of water for when he wakes up." She decided, shifting the bowl under one arm.

Nanny didn't say anything, tucking a hand into her pant pocket. She knew that Viske wouldn't wake up anytime soon, but she didn't want to let Mae's guilt build up anymore than it already had.

Opening the bedroom door and moving into the hallway, the three women shared a glance with one each other before parting their separate ways.

While Ketzia prepared to open the rest of the town up and Nanny climbed the stairs to the library, Mae advanced forward and tiptoed down the hallway.

Although Akainu was on the floor above her and wouldn't be able to hear the creaking floorboards, she tried her best to stay as quiet as possible. The admiral was already on edge and giving him a reason to burn down the house wasn't on her list of things to-do.

Once she reached the kitchen after a few twists and turns, Mae moved over to the sink and dumped the rags into one side while she used the other side to clean the bowl. And as she scrubbed the bowl, she drew her attention to the window in front of her.

During that time, she went into her own thoughts, a glazed looked washing over her features. It wasn't long though, until a sudden movement in the distance caught her eye. The notion was quick, but it was noticeable and snapped her back to reality.

With curiosity, she set the bowl down and leaned over the sink for a better look. When nothing came into view, she pulled back with a sigh and turned her eyes downward.

"I'm seeing things" She decided, shaking her head. As the words slipped passed her lips, an unexpected knock came at the door.

Startled, she turned on a quick foot and leaned against the sink, staring hard at the back door.

It was unusual for someone to be knocking at such a late hour, and she knew that it wouldn't be one of Akainu's marines. Not only was it far too late, but it would be inappropriate for them to use the backdoor.

Taking a cautious step forward, Mae reached a hand out and then let it fall back down to her side. She then took a couple more steps until she was standing in front of the door. Looking down at the handle, she took it into her hold and held it in a tight grip. She was hesitation at first, but after a count down, she turned the handle and cracked the door open.

Peering outside, she looking around the backyard, "Hello?"

There wasn't a reply and no one came into sight.

"If you're here to see the admiral, he's busy."

Mae narrowed her eyes, but she didn't say anything more and moved to close the door. Just before it could snap shut though, a hand took a hold of it and forced it to stay open. And it was then, she was greeted by Luffy and Chopper who, without caution, came bursting through the door.

"We're here for Viske!"

Her eyes widened at Luffy's sudden outburst and without reluctancy, she closed a hand over his mouth, "What are you doing here?" She whispered harshly, "Do you know how dangerous it is to be here right now?"

Zoro released the door, no longer forcing it to stay open. Stepping next to Chopper, he nudged his head towards him, "He insisted."

Chopper bobbed his head in agreement, holding the straps of his backpack, "Where's Viske?" He asked, taking a step in front of Mae and looking up at her.

Looking over her shoulder," I'm grateful that you'd come," Mae whispered, looking back down at Chopper, "but do you understand what could happen if he found you here?"

"You won't see a doctor for at least a day, right?"

Mae faltered and she ran a stressful hand through her hair, fighting with the tangles and knots, "A doctor won't be here for a couple of days."

"Then," Chopper looked up at her with certainty, "he needs me."

"Are you sure-"

"Where is he?"

Mae was surprised by the reindeer's persistent attitude, but she didn't argue with him.

"Follow me, and stay close."

Even though the hallways were empty, making it easier to sneak around the house, Mae held onto the fear that wrenched at her stomach. Akainu was typically aware of his surroundings. But, even though it was a risk bringing them into their home, it was a risk that she was willing to take.

As they reached Viske's bedroom, Mae quietly opened the door and stepped aside, "In here." She whispered, ushering them into the room and closing the door behind them.

As soon as Chopper stepped foot into the room, he took action and moved over to Viske's side. Placing his bag on the ground, he wasted no time and pulled out the needed supplies, "Is this clean water?" He asked, not bothering to look up.

Mae glanced at the bowl of water on the bedside table, "Yes," She assured him, "it's clean."

Luffy stood behind Chopper, looking over the doctor's shoulder, "You can help him, right?"

Chopper nodded, "He's burned bad, but he should be okay."

"Who would do this to him?"

Turning an eye to Luffy, "It was our uncle." Mae answered.

"Your uncle did this?!" Luffy exclaimed, anger lingering in his voice, "Why aren't you doing something about this?! Where is he?!"

Instantly, Mae held her hands up, "Please Luffy, not so loud."

Reaching under the mattress of the bed, she pulled out a black cloth and unwrapped it, handing it to Luffy.

Taking it from her, he flipped it around and inspected it, "His flag?"

"Our uncle didn't mean to hurt Viske personally. We stumbled on the fire after he left." Mae sighed, looking over at her brother, "As silly as it was, he went back for his flag when he realized that there wasn't hope for the fort itself. "

"It's not silly."

"To risk your life for a flag-" She began, only to be interrupted by Luffy's hand slamming into the wall.

"-It's a pirates Pride." He snapped, holding his fist on the wall, his hat covering over his eyes.

"Don't do anything stupid." Zoro insisted, moving over to the only window in the room. Looking out of it, he noticed that the entire island could be seen from the height that they were at. It was no wonder that Ketzia was able to alert them about the marines.

"He hurt Viske," Luffy scowled, "I can't just ignore that!"

"But you can and you will," Mae demanded. "If our uncle finds out that you are here, it will cause trouble for not only us, but for Viske." Each word was bitten off, anger and fear overwhelming her.

Luffy prepared to protest, his own anger beginning to boil, but before he could say anymore, Viske let out a painful groan.

Straining, the young boy opened his eyes and turned his head to Luffy, "Please... Don't hurt my... uncle."

"Viske." Without delay, Mae took a seat beside the bed and brushed her fingers over his forehead and along the bridge of his nose, "How are you feeling?"

"It... It hurts." He forced out between clenched teeth.

Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to the only bare spot on his cheek, "Everything will be okay."

When she pulled bak from him, she realized that he had fallen back into an unconscious state and a frown crossed her lips.

She would give anything to see him smile just once more.

"Chopper?" Luffy perked up, "What's wrong?"

Chopper didn't reply. Rather, he began to pack his bags without an explanation.

Mae took notice to the doctor's shaky appearance and stood up, "Is everything okay?"

Chopper was reluctant to speak. The situation was far worse than what he had expected.

It wasn't a shock to him that Zoro escaped the fire with barely a scratch and only a few burns, he wasn't a typical human. But as for Viske, he was a normal human it was more surprising that he was able to survive.

"Do you have a hospital room, or a room with hospital equipment?" Chopper asked, avoiding eye contact with Mae.

Her stomach sunk, "No. Whenever the doctor comes, we use what they have on their ship. It's a bad setup, but we've never had a problem with it," She paused, "Until now."

"Your uncle really cares, huh?" Zoro snorted under his breath, "How can you not have one doctor on this island and not a single medical room?"

"We never needed one," Mae snapped, her patience thinning. "We tried to get at least one doctor to stay on this island, but it was always dismissed."

"And the ship that is in port has a medical room, but no doctor?" Chopper asked, finally catching her gaze.

"It has a medical room, as I mentioned before though, a doctor won't be here for a couple of days. It's strange that one didn't come tonight, but we can't do anything about it."

Fixing his backpack over his shoulder, "Then we need to bring him back to our ship." Chopper decided.

Zoro's expression washed over with disbelief. It was bad enough that they were in the admirals house, but to bring his grandson to their ship was absolutely insane. "We can't risk it."

"Wait," Mae reached down and took a hold of Chopper, holding him up by the straps of his bag and bringing him to her eye level, "Tell me what's wrong!"

Zoro and Luffy stood guard, preparing to defend their doctor if it was needed.

Chopper didn't panic though. In silence, he stared into Mae's eyes. He was unwilling to speak at first, but he knew that he'd eventually have to break the news to her.

"Well?" Mae urged, shaking him, "Tell me what's wrong!"

Finally, the doctor took in a deep breath, "I need to amputate his leg!" He blurted out, attempting to wiggle from her hold.

Mae's grip on him loosened and soon he was dropped to the ground. Her mouth opened and closed for words, but none could be found.

"If you want to save his life," Chopper mumbled, dusting himself off, "then we need to do this. It can't wait."

"Are you sure?!" Luffy exclaimed, almost falling over at the news, "Can't you just bandage it up?!"

"No," Chopper shook his head, "he has an infection on his leg and it goes down to the bone. If I don't amputate it, then the infection will spread."

"No," Mae mumbled, "no."

"I don't know how long the infection has been in his leg, but he's lucky that it was burned this bad."

"Lucky?!" Luffy exclaimed, "How is that lucky?!"

"The infection would have spread without notice," Chopper explained, "and if that were to happen-"

"-He would have eventually died." Mae finished, staring down at her brother.

The group fell silent, their eyes now resting on Viske.

After a moment though, Mae tore her eyes away from him and brought her gaze to Chopper, "How do we get him to your ship without hurting him?"


	6. (VI) The Procedure

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated November 25, 2016.

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

Have a wonderful week everyone. :)

* * *

Zoro held Viske on his back, carrying him through the forest with everyone else following after.

Typically it would have taken the group thirty minute to get back to the ship, but because of their fast foot work and Mae's short cuts, it took them fifteen minutes to reach the cove. And because the marines were still at bay and unaware of their presence, it made the transition from the house to the ship easier.

As soon as they touched foot on the Thousand Sunny, Chopper instructed Zoro to take Viske to the medical room, ushering him to move as quick as possible.

Mae followed after him, but before she could get any further, Chopper held a hand out and prevented her from taking another step. "I'll let you know when I'm done."

She was reluctant to listen to him and eager to be at Viske's side, but she understood that Chopper didn't need anyone hovering over his shoulder during the procedure and so she stood back and watched helplessly as Zoro disappeared with her brother.

Several hours passed and Chopper still hadn't surfaced from the medical bay. No one knew how far along he was, but it was known that an amputation could take a half a day to complete.

With their cheeks passed together, Luffy and Mae peered into the sickbay window, hoping to see what was going on. It was impossible to see anything though and they couldn't discern what was happening. As they continued to look through the window anxiously, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed Luffy by the scruff of his shirt.

"Chopper has it under control," Nami assured him, "it won't go by ay quicker if you continue to stare through the window." Pulling Luffy away from the window, she then looked over at Mae, "Why don't we show you around the ship?"

Appearing beside Nami, Brook offered a grin and reached his hand out to Mae, "I'd be happy to give you a tour!"

Mae unwillingly pulled herself away from the window and turned around. When she came face to face with the two pirates, she couldn't help but look them up and down. Normally, she would have been confused about the fact one of them was a skeleton, but because of the news letters about the crew, it wasn't a shock.

With a short nod, "Okay." Mae agreed.

While Brook took Mae on a tour of The Thousand Sunny, everyone else kept to themselves.

Nami took the time to outline as much of the island as she could without having to actually explore it.

Franky was working on a new project that needed his full attention. If he were to make one mistake, it could cause the entire piece to malfunction.

Usopp was in the garden working on a new experiment and Luffy was doing what he could to assist him; even though he wasn't helping at all.

Sanji was in the kitchen going over his produce and meats. They were low on everything and his last trip to the island was not as successful as he'd hope.

Zoro was in the crows nest taking advantage of the time to workout.

With amusement, Robin sat on the lawn's deck, watching as Brook gave Mae a tour of everything. When he offered to push her on the swing, but Mae politely turned him down, she couldn't help but laugh. If anyone was great at distracting someone, it was Brook. Reaching over to the small table next to her, Robin grabbed the glass of fresh juice and took a drink before going back to her book.

"And this is where the ladies keep their panties!" Brook opened the door to Robin and Nami's room, extending his arm out.

Looking up at him in disbelief, "I'm not really interested in seeing women's panties." Mae said, shaking her head.

Brook grinned, "But I am! Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!" Closing the door, he turned to Mae with a mischievous look in his expression.

Extending her arms out and crossing them in a swift motion indicating a solid no, Mae was quick to change the subject, "What's next?"

Brook counted his fingers and milled over the room that they explored, "There isn't much more! I think I've shown you everything!"

"Then I appreciate the tour." Mae said, smiling up at him, "You guys have been more than helpful and even calm about the whole situation."

"I'm more than happy to do it!" Brook exclaimed, holding a single finger to his chin, "And of course I'm calm! Nothing gets under my skin! That is, if I had any! Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!"

Mae raised a single brow at the skeleton. His light hearted jokes were the most authentic, but he was trying. As he continued to laugh, it wasn't long until she found herself laughing, "I like you Brook." She decided, giving him a friendly shove on the shoulder.

Their laughter came to an end when Chopper appeared in front of them, panting heavily. Holding his legs, he bent over to catch a breath, "There... There... You.. Two... There you two are!" He shouted between gasps of air.

Mae knelt down, "What's wrong?" She asked, "Chopper?"

Fixing himself back up, he looked at her with a wide grin, "He's going to be just fine!"

Relief washed over Mae and her stomach was attacked by butterflies. Without warming, she took Chopper into her arms and gave him a hug, swinging him from left to right, "Thank you! Thank you!"

"You dummy, you don't have to thank me! It was nothing!" Chopper exclaimed bashfully, allowing her to swing him around in praise.

After a few second, Mae finally released him and set him down, "Can I see him?"

"He's unconscious, but you can see him." Chopper nodded, taking a hold of her hand and leading her into the Medical Bay.

"The incision will heal over a period of six weeks. His blood flow is stable, and the infection was removed from below the hip. Swelling is common and it could last for months if not years. It could take up to a year for complete healing. During this time, if you decide to get him an artificial leg it will need to be adjusted to make sure that it fits properly. Swelling can come and go and if the artificial leg is not adjusted properly, it can make for pain. He should be okay at home, and able to use crutches or some form of walker to assist him during the healing process. If it is difficult and he can't handle it, he would benefit by staying in bed. He may have nerve pain, or even bone spur overgrowth. Because of this, complications may occur and additional operation. As long as you have a doctor on call though, even if it's a days away, he should be okay."

Mae brushed her fingers over Viske's forehead. He was in a tranquil state with a serene aura surrounding him. Walking her fingers along his arm and around the bandages would, she hesitantly brought them to the edge of his blanket. After a short count down in her head, she lifted the sheet above his body and examined where his leg used to be.

A solemn look washed over her as she slowly put the blanket back, "When will he wake up? Is he in pain?"

"He should wake up soon." Chopper informed her, taking a seat on his stool and fiddling with a few items on his desk. "He was unconscious from the pain, but with what I gave him, he shouldn't be in anymore pain. I numbed his entire lower half in order to remove his leg, and to take precaution, I gave him an extra doze of pain medication."

"How do we move him back to the house without hurting him?" Mae pressed on, brushing her hands over the blanket.

"It won't be easy," Chopper said, jumping down from his seat and moving next to the bed, "not without causing him discomfort, but it will be possible." Checking Viske's temperature, Chopper reached for the medicine that sat on the bedside table.

Handing the medicine to Mae, "Make sure he takes this when he wakes up. I'm going to explain everything to the others." He instructed.

Just as the door closed behind Chopper, Viske's hand delicately reached out and took a hold of Mae's wrist, "Mae?" He whispered, his voice cracking.

Not expecting him to be awake so soon, Mae fumbled with surprise and dropped the medcine on the floor. Scrambling to pick it up, she shoved it in her pocket and then stood back up and leaned over him. Not wanting him to struggle or open any wounds, she placed two gentle hands on his shoulders and offered him a warm smile.

"Where are we?" He mumbled, his eyes blinking and fighting against the bright lights of the room.

Grabbing a glass of water that was on the table, Mae offered it to him, "Take a drink first, and then we'll talk."

Viske tried to sit up, but the burns on his back tore from the sudden movement and he sunk back into the bed, "It hurts!"

Biting on her upper lip, "I know, I know." She whispered, digging into her pocket and then holding her hand out to him, "You need to take these."

Viske looked down at the pills in her palm. Finally, after a minute or two, he took them from her and shoved them into his mouth.

"Do you remember what happened?" Mae asked, handing him the glass of water to drink.

Viske lifted his head up enough to take a drink. Breaking away with a breath, handed her the glass, "No."

Setting the water down, Mae took a seat on the edge of the bed and began to explain what had happened. Between every word, a new emotion stretched over Viske's face. He was still numb from the waist down and it hadn't occurred to him that he was missing a piece of his body.

Reluctant to stand up, "And there's one more thing." She whispered, dragging a hand over her face stressfully.

"What is it?" Viske asked, his eyes wavering as he stared up at her, "What's wrong?"

Swallowing down a breath, Mae reached down and took a hold of the sheet, "You had an infection and it started to spread."

Viske lifted his head and watched as the sheet was moved. With dilated pupils, he immediately sprung up, "My leg!"

Not wanting him to cause anymore damage, Mae reached a hand out and pressed him back into the bed, "You need to calm down. You're going to make it worse."

Fighting against her hand, he tried to sit back up, "What happened to my leg?!"

"Chopper had to remove it," she whispered, "there wasn't anything we could do."

Viske laid back into the bed and stared up at the ceiling without saying another word. The silence was murder, but Mae knew that she couldn't say anything to reassure him. And she knew better to say anything hopeful. That wasn't what he wanted to hear at a time like this.

Sitting back down on the bed, she reached into her pocket and yanked out a piece of material, "Here." She smiled, placing it on the table, "I kept this for you."

Viske ignored Mae and kept a firm stare on the ceiling.

Clearing her throat, "It's your flag." She explained, pushing the material towards him.

Before she could say anything else, the door swung open and Luffy came barging into the room, "You're awake!"

"Luffy, maybe it's not the best time to see him!" Chopper exclaimed, following after his captain, "He might not even be awake yet!"

With a short smile, Viske looked over at Luffy, "Hey."

"Oh! You're awake! How do you feel!? Did you take your medicine? Where does it hurt?" Chopper moved to his side and began to inspect every part of his body.

"We were worried about you! How's the leg? Or the... No leg?" Luffy asked, scratching at the back of his head, confused by his own words.

Mae was ready to smack him for being so inconsiderate, but she held back when Viske started to laugh. "It's okay. I guess I'll have to be one of those pirates with a wooden leg now, huh?" He joked.

"Or you could be one of those pirates with a really awesome leg!" Franky burst into the room, "You don't know me, but I'm about to set you up with something super!" Reaching behind his back, he pulled a mechanical leg over his shoulder, "Who wants a wooden leg when you can have this baby right here?"

Luffy's mouth dropped to the ground, "You made that?!" He exclaimed, taking it out of Franky's hand and inspecting it.

"I did! Now give it back!" Franky shouted, taking the metal leg out of Luffy's hand and shoving him aside. "It's sturdy, but I don't need you finding a way to break it."

"Is that for me?" Viske asked, attempting to sit up.

Chopper nearly had a heart-attack when he saw Viske move. Holding his shoulders, he pressed him back down, "You shouldn't move so much!"

"It sure is! When I heard about the rescue for your flag, I knew that you deserved this." Franky lifted the leg up, "I've made sure that it's adjustable to your leg growth. It even has some special attachments!"

"You shouldn't have," Mae smiled, standing off to the side to give the men room.

"Of course I should have! No kid should go without one!" Setting the leg down, Franky flexed his arms, "I'll show you how to put it on when you feel ready!"

Viske grinned, "I'm kind of ready now!"

Waving his hands, Chopper jumped between them, "You're not ready! Not yet!"

"Oh, come on! Let's see it on!" Luffy insisted, taking the leg back into his hands and looking it over.

Chopper stood in front of the bed and held his arms out, "Later! Right now he needs rest!"


	7. (VII) A Promise and A Goodbye

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **This chapter has been updated December 17, 2016.**

 **More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.**

 **Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.**

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

 **Have a wonderful week everyone. :)**

* * *

While Viske was being set up and shown how to operate his prothetic leg, Mae went back to the house. There, she dropped off a sufficient amount of medical supplies that Chopper was more than kind enough to give them and informed Nanny and Ketzia about the situation.

Neither of the two were enthusiastic about the news.

"Reckless!" Ketzia shouted, "How could you let them do this without asking us first?!"

Nanny stepped outside of the house and yanked a jacket over her shoulder, "I wish that I could have seen his leg before-"

"-Before they cut it right off!" Ketzia interrupted, heated by the situation.

Tying her hair up in a pony-tail, Mae looked over her shoulder at the two, "We should hurry up."

"Typical." Ketzia snorted, "Avoiding conflict as usual."

Stretching a hand out, Nanny took a hold of Ketzia's shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze, "We'll discuss it later."

Mae turned around and confronted them, "There's nothing to discuss."

"Excuse me?" Ketzia took a step closer to her, "There is a lot to discuss."

Nanny moved between the two and held a hand out to either of them. "You two need to calm down. We have a lot on our plate already."

"The only reason we have a lot on our plate is because of _her._ "

Mae reached over and took a hold of Ketzia's shirt, yanking her close, "What was that?"

"You heard me!" Ketzia bit, taking a hold of Mae's pony-tail and tugging her down, "You're the one who keeps encouraging him to be a pirate when you know that it's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible." Mae snarled, tightening her grip.

"It's impossible when your adopted family works for the marines!"

Stuck between the two, Nanny tried to pry them apart, "All right. You two need to stop. He's going to hear you."

"Let him hear us," Ketzia refused to budge, "it's not like we're _not_ going to be put on probation for this!"

"Ooh," Mae hummed out mockingly, "probation. We're already confined to this island."

"We?" Ketzia pulled Mae's head down and then jerked herself free, "You-"

Nanny pressed Mae back, and looked at Ketzia with a warning eye, "-You need to calm down."

"Are you kidding me?" Ketzia exasperated, "While we stand around and wait for _your_ reports-"

"I do what is needed to be done," Mae's fingers twitched and she clenched them tight, "and do I like it? No. Do I want to do it? No. I do it because I have to."

"Oh, cry me a river!" Ketzia exclaimed, rolling her eyes and throwing a hand up. "Poor thing has to set sail for months on end while we're here on this damn island watching after some kid you found!"

"Don't bring Viske into this." Mae snapped, taking a challenging step closer to her, "He's never done anything to you!"

"And why are you even helping these pirates? They aren't part of your mission-"

"All right," Nanny shoved a hand against Ketzia's mouth, "you two need to keep your voices down. And end this before you say something that you'll regret."

"And," Ketzia broke from Nanny's hold and spat on the ground, "what happened to turning them in?"

"I," Nanny stated, "decided not to report them."

"Which was a stupid idea," Ketzia grunted, "what were you thinking?"

Turning her back on the two, Mae crossed her arms and looked up, "If it weren't for them-"

"He'd be dead?"

"Yes," Mae snapped, looking over her shoulder, "he'd be dead."

"One less mouth to feed."

On a sharp foot, Mae brought herself back around. "Take that back!" She argued, snow forming at the base of her foot.

Ketzia tottered back and pointed an accusing finger, "You!"

"Mae!" Nanny exasperated, shuffling her foot over the snow.

"I should have known." Ketzia laughed with disbelief, "You're the one who stole it."

"Let's not get into this." Nanny insisted, pressing a hand to Ketzia's shoulder to keep her back.

Ketzia gestured to herself and then to Nanny, "Do you know how long it took us to convince the marines that we didn't take the fruit? We went through hell Mae! While you were out sailing the seas and shadowing scum, we were trying to cover our asses!"

"You weren't and aren't the only ones going through hell!"

"Spare me," Ketzia's upper lip raised in a snarl, "I'm going inside. You two can get the runt yourselves."

"Ketzia."

"Let her go." Mae muttered, "It's not like she cares about him."

"You know that she does." Nanny stepped next to Mae and ran a hand through her pony-tail, "She's just on edge."

Mae pushed Nanny's hand away, "I don't care what her excuse is." She said, taking the lead and heading towards the cove, "She has no right to bring him into this."

* * *

Viske held onto his metal leg with one hand and waved over Zoro's shoulder with the other, "Thanks for everything you guys!"

Robin smiled and waved in return. "Don't forget about us!"

"And don't put the prosthetic leg on for at least anothe month! You need to heal first!" Chopper shouted, jumping up and down on the deck.

With a wide smile, Viske continued to wave, "I promise!"

The distress in Nanny's wrinkled eyes disappeared as Zoro and Luffy stepped onto the island. Happy to see Viske safe and sound, she held her arms out warmly, "Viske, you silly boy."

Handing Nanny the prosthetic leg, "Miss me?" He beamed with a twinkle in his eye.

"Of course." Nanny smiled before turning her attention to the leg in her arms, lifting it up and down, "Is this yours?"

"Franky made it!" Luffy confirmed, appearing next to her.

"It's sturdy. Remember to thank him for us."

Mae brushed her fingers over the metal foot, "He can't wear it for a good while. We'll have to keep an eye on him. He's been eager to wear it and I know that once we turn our backs, he'll try to put it on."

"Oh, I don't doubt it."

Moving over to Zoro and Mae scooped Viske up from his arms. "We better head back. It will be at least another hour before a ship arrives."

"What about your uncle?" Luffy asked, looking between the three.

Offering a smile, "He has bigger things on his mind." Nanny assured him.

Mae nodded in agreement. "We'll be on probation for a while, but it's nothing we can't handle."

Zoro furrowed his eyebrows, "Probation?"

Nanny nudged Mae and coughed under her breath.

"I'm joking," She quickly lied, "he's never had us under his radar. We aren't important enough."

Straightening up, Nanny smiled, "The only thing that really caught his attention was the fort that these two insisted on building."

"He wouldn't have found it if it weren't for the flag."

"The flag that you forgot to take down?" Mae smirked. "He would have found it eventually."

"Yeah, yeah." Viske muttered before perking up, "I almost forgot!"

"Did you leave something on the ship?" Mae asked, looking down at him.

Shaking his head, Viske wiggled in her arms and stretched his body out. Grabbing Luffy's arm, he pulled him closer, "Can you do me that favor?"

"They've already done enough for us." Mae insisted, "Leave them be."

Luffy offered a wide smile, "I promised, didn't I?"

Nanny looked at the two skeptically, "Promised what?"

Viske ignored Nanny and nudged his head towards Luffy, looking up at Mae, "It's the perfect opportunity. He's the perfect opportunity."

* * *

 _Quick to jump to his feet, Viske scrambled over to Mae's side. Kneeling on the ground, he combed his fingers through a pile of snow and looked up at her with wide eyes, "How?"_

 _Mae knelt down beside him. Scooping up a handful of snow, she panned it through her fingers, "I stole it."_

 _"You stole it?" Viske repeated with uncertainty, "What do you mean?"_

 _"Do you remember that chest that was brought in a couple of months ago?"_

 _"The one with the artificial devil fruits?"_

 _Mae stood up and grabbed Viske's arm. Lifting him from the ground, she dusted the snow off of his knees and then turned her eyes to him. "They weren't like the rumored SMILEs." She said. "These were replicas of the Logia devil fruits."_

 _"Wait," Viske frowned, "can you even recreate a Logia fruit?"_

 _"Apparently." Mae answered, observing the snow that covered a wide diameter around them._

 _"What did uncle say?"_

 _Holding a finger to her lips, "He doesn't know. And he won't find out." She said._

 _"But won't he find out?"_

 _"Eventually, but I have to leave soon. By the time someone notices that it's missing, I'll already be gone."_

 _"What about when you come back?"_

 _"It will be six months before I come back. I'm positive that it will blow over by then."_

 _Viske's shoulders slumped and he plopped down, "Do you have to leave again?"_

 _"It's my obligation."_

 _Drawing picturing in the snow, he let out a lengthy sigh, "I hate it when you leave. Ketzia treats me like a waste of space."_

 _"And I," Mae took a spot next to him and added to his drawings, "hate leaving."_

 _"Then, why do you do it?"_

 _"Because it's an order and I never disobey an order."_

 _Laying back, "Can't you ignore an order just this once?" Viske pleaded, watching the clouds above them._

 _"Do you know what would happen if I did that?"_

 _"He'd probably do what he did to the last guy."_

 _"And that is?"_

 _"Burn you right up..."_

 _"And if I'm burnt right up, what do you think would happen to you? You need me."_

 _Viske pouted, "I can take care of myself."_

 _With a soft laugh, Mae laid back and rolled onto her side. Propping her head up, she looked over at him, "Really now?"_

 _"I know how to cook a fish on a rock."_

 _"That settles it then," She laughed, "you'd be perfectly fine without me."_

 _Viske turned on his side and looked up at her, "Do you think that one day we'll be able to get away from here?"_

 _"You don't like it here?"_

 _"You and I both know it stinks."_

 _"One day we'll escape this hell hole." Mae rolled back over and stared up at the sky with a distressed expression. "For now, we have to wait."_

 _"Wait for what though?"_

 _"The perfect opportunity."_

* * *

"What does that have to do with your promise with Luffy?" Mae asked, remembering their conversation.

Viske rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well," Looking down where his leg used to be, he frowned. "I have to learn how to walk again before I can go anywhere."

Mae held him closer, "Viske, What are you talking about?"

Nanny inclined her head to the side, "You're not making any sense."

"Luffy, it's about time we head back." Zoro said, "We have less than an hour before more marines show up."

Holding a hand to his hat, "Right!" Luffy agreed before turning his attention to Nanny, "Thanks for the food! And the stories!"

Breaking her attention from Viske, she bowed her head and offered a smile, "Anytime. Please come back and see us."

"We'll have to! I'm sure that Mae will want to see you guys again." Luffy said nonchalantly.

Nanny and Mae exchanged a glance before looking over at Luffy with uncertainty, "What do you mean?" They both asked.

"You're coming with us!"

"What?!" Zoro exclaimed, "Luffy, you can't just make decisions like this without our knowledge!"

Mae raised her hands and shook her head, "I can't."

Viske glowered up at her, "But it's the perfect opportunity."

Luffy placed a hand on his hip and the other on his hat, "It's already been settled! You're coming with us!"

Zoro smacked a hand to his forehead with frustration, "You've got to be kidding me."

* * *

Nanny sat on the edge of Mae's bed quietly, watching as she packed a small bag with mischellaneous items. She couldn't fathom what was going on in Mae's mind, but she knew better than to ask. And she knew that she wasn't going to be able to prevent her from leaving.

After Mae packed the last of what she wanted to bring, she brought her attention to Nanny. Walking over to her, she stretched her arms out and offered a warm smile, "I'll be fine."

Nanny stood up and reached her arms around her, bringing her into a warm embrace. "What about Akainu?"

Putting space between them, but continuing to hold onto Nanny, "What about him?" Mae asked with a raised brow.

"He won't let you get far. And he's going to find out that you stole the fruit."

"He would have found out that I stole it even if I stayed." Mae stepped back and took Nanny's hands into her own, "I have to do this."

"What if he comes after you?" Nanny whispered, her eyes washing over with grief, "He won't spare your life."

"He's bound to come after me."

"You won't survive."

Mae frowned, "I'm going to survive." Reaching over and snatching the bag, she slung it over her shoulder. "For Viske."

"You could stay."

"No, I can't. You and I both know that."

Nanny sat back down on the bed in defeat, "I still don't under what is going on, but I'm trusting you."

"Promise me," Mae knelt down in front of her, "that you'll take care of him. At least until I come back."

Suddenly, Viske's voice echoed through the house and stole Mae's attention.

"You better say goodbye to him." Nanny urged, standing back up. "He's going to miss you. Every time you leave, you take a piece of him with you."

Swallowing, "What are you going to tell Akainu?" Mae asked, "He's going to realize I'm gone sooner or later."

Nanny took something out of her pocket and held it up, "Here."

Confused, Mae took the piece of paper, "What-"

"Your next mission came in this morning. This will give you six months to find what it is you're looking for. Once the six months are up, I-"

Relief washed over Mae. Crumbling the piece of paper in her hand, she tossed it over her shoulder and brought Nanny into her arms and buried her face in the crook of her neck.

Holding her in return, Nanny rubbed her cheek against the side of her head, "-Once the six months are up, I can't cover or dismiss your absence."

Breaking away, "I understand." Mae acknowledged, "I don't expect-"

"Don't tell me anymore. I don't understand what opportunity you two are talking about, and I don't want to know."

"What about Ketzia?"

"As far as she knows, you are on a mission." Nanny ushered Mae forward and towards the door, "Now go. I'll be here when you get back."

Mae placed a hand over Nanny's and offered a warm smile before taking her leave. It didn't take her long to find Viske. She caught sight of him in his bed, propped up and reading a book that Robin had given him. When he noticed her, his cheeks raised and he grinned wide.

Resting the book on the table next to him, "It's about time." He complained.

Mae smiled and made her way to the side of his bed. "I had to take care of a few things."

"I didn't want you to forget to say goodbye." Viske sulked, pulling his blankets up over his leg.

Taking a spot on the edge of the bed, "I would never." Mae assured him.

"Will you miss me?" Viske tugged at his bandages, the burns beginning to itch as they tightened and dried out.

Mae snatched up the ointment on the table next to them. Opening the bottle, she used a free hand to press him down, "Nope." She teased.

Viske flinched at the sudden touch. His medicine was beginning to wear off and the pain was creeping back. Resting into the mattress, he let Mae unwrap a few bandages and dab the ointment onto the burns. It didn't hurt too bad, but it was uncomfortable.

When she pressed the ointment on a severe burn though, he yanked his arm away, "That one hurts!"

With an apologetic frown, Mae stood up and moved to the other side of the bed without saying a word. Taking a seat, she began to work on his other arm. As she leaned over him, her hair fell over her shoulders and into her face.

Viske blew a few strands away and inclined his head to look her in the eyes, "We'll see each other again." He assured her, noticing the solemn look in her eyes. When he attempted to sit up, a sudden burst of pain shot across his body. Clenching his jaw tight, he held in a scream.

Worried, Mae reached forward, but she didn't touch him, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Y-Yup!" He stammered, his fingers digging into the sheets, "Just some pain."

Tense, Mae brushed her hand over his and then took it into a hold, "I promise that I'll never let this happen again."

* * *

Everyone gathered on the deck and exchanged words back and forth. They weren't opposed to the idea of a new crew member, but they weren't keen on it either.

"I have no objections to a beautiful lady being added to the crew!" Sanji declared, clasping his hands together.

Usopp and Chopper exchanged a nervous glance with one another, "What about her uncle?"

Aside from Luffy, everybody was aware of who Mae was related to. And they knew that it was going to be a hump that they would have to work around. Having her on the ship meant that they would have a defiant radar on them at all times.

Taking a seat on a barrel, Luffy stubbornly crossed his arms, "I've made up my mind."

"It sounds like our captain has made up his mind!" Franky declared, "And I have no complaints!"

Rolling his sleeves up, "It looks like I have one more mouth to feed!" He stated, "Which means we need to find another island before we all starve to death!"

"Do we at least have snacks?" Usopp asked, rubbing at his stomach.

"We have enough for the women," Sanji answered, "and that's it! So you better hope that we find an island soon or the fish start biting!"

Appearing from the upper deck, Nami gestured towards the ocean. "Everyone in positions! We are going to have to move swift. The marines are pulling into port one by one. Once she steps foot on this ship, we are leaving!"


	8. (VIII) The Luminous Island Part 1

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **This chapter has been updated December 17, 2016.**

 **More updates will be made to this chapter in the future.**

 **Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.**

Also, things will make more sense as the story continues and secrets are revealed.

 **Have a wonderful week everyone. :)**

* * *

It took Mae over an hour to return to The Thousand Sunny. And when she eventually reached the ship, the marines were already pulling into the ports. Nami decided that it was a blessing not to be caught by the marines or Akainu, but she also knew that their luck could wear thin and made sure to set sail once Mae stepped foot on the ship. And as good luck would have it, the Straw Hats were able to sneak around the edge of the cove and set sail on the opposite side of the island.

While everyone was eager to get to know their new crew mate, Mae politely excused herself and made her way to the crows nest. There, she found a spot along the window and took the chance to trace the island and memorize every curve before it was completely out of sight.

And as the hours passed, she continued to stare outside of the window, lost in her own world.

Her presence didn't stop Zoro from doing his daily routines though. Stretching his shoulders forward and then back, the swordsman took a breath and then brought himself into a handstand.

Clearing his throat, he nudged his head towards the barbell that laid in the center of the room. "Do you mind?"

Breaking from her trance, Mae looked around the room confused. Catching sight of him, she stared for a moment and then looked at the barbell on the floor. Without a word, she stood up and walked over to the equipment. Reaching down, she tested the weight and then picked it up. Walking over to him, she held it out, "Here?"

With an impatient sigh, "Put it on my feet." He instructed.

"All right." Mae shrugged, lifting the bar up and setting it on the inner arch of his feet.

Zoro pushed himself up and then down and then nudged his head towards a pile of plates, "Add all of them."

Mae was reluctant at first. But after a couple of seconds, she started to load the weights onto the bar. And once she lifted the last plate onto the barbell, she took a step back and admired her work. Crossing her arms, she watched as Zoro began to do push ups.

He made it look easy, as if he were lifting bags of feathers rather than a few thousand pounds.

"What we do isn't a childish pirate game." Zoro grunted, lifting his body up and down repeatedly.

"I know what I came to do." Mae said with a minuscule shrug, turning her back on him.

"Yeah? And what's that?" He grunted, sweat beginning to bead down his back.

Mae didn't answer him and sauntered over to the window. Taking a seat, she raised her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and began to explore the ocean's surface. The island was no longer in view after hours of sailing. And it left her uneasy. Always, when she left, it was for a mission. This time though, it was for another reason.

"Did you hear me?"

Mae inclined her head and let out a soft hum. For a moment, her eyes swept over Zoro's body. He was only wearing a pair of black pants that were already soaked in sweat. Sweat that dripped down from his chest and onto the ground. It was off-putting to see it pool on the hardwood floor.

Not bothering to answer him, Mae turned her eyes back to the ocean. The weather was in a tranquil state. The wind was blowing and the waves were colliding against the ship in a steady pulse. It was almost peaceful. All at once though, in the distance, a shadow appeared and began to increase in size. And it wasn't long until the object became visible.

It was an island.

With curiosity, Mae leaned closer to the window, "There's an island in the distance." She mumbled. "Nami said that we weren't going to see one for at least another day or two."

Zoro bent down and let the barbell fall onto the ground, the equipment rolling to a stop. Standing himself upright, he dusted his hands onto his pants and reached up to wipe the sweat that dripped off of his forehead. "Are you sure?" He asked, cracking his back in multiple spots.

"Am I sure?" Mae sent him a look. "Of course I'm sure. I'm not blind."

Ignoring the look that she gave him, Zoro took spot by the window and examined the island. It was luminous with a bright hue surrounding the surface. It was almost blinding. As they sailed closer, Zoro held a hand to his forehead and shaded his eyes, "We better tell Nami."

Mae wasn't hesitant and immediately headed down the crows nest. It didn't take her long to find Nami. She was on the lawn deck enjoying a sweet drink that Sanji mixed up and looking over a map.

When Nami noticed the sudden shade, she lowered the map and raised an eyebrow. When she saw Mae standing in front of her, she smiled, "Hey! Thirsty?" She asked, nudging her head to a spare glass and pitcher on the table.

"No thank you." She said, "I was actually coming to let you know that we're heading straight for an island."

Nami sat up and folded her map. "Already? That can't be right." She said, looking down at her log pose.

Standing up from the lawn chair, she walked across the deck. Taking a spot by the rail, she leaned forward and held onto the ledge for support. Her breasts bounced as she let out a long breath, the red bikini top she wore barely hanging on. In the distance she caught sight of the vivid island.

Bringing herself up, she tucked one hand into her back picket and looked back down at her wrist inspecting the three needles. "They aren't pointing to the island." She mumbled under her breath, "Which means this island doesn't have a magnetic field."

Robin lifted her eyes from the book that she was reading, "Interesting." Standing up, she worked her way across the deck and next to Nami.

"Do you guys see that?!" Usopp shouted from his garden, "Is it an island?!"

Mae nodded, looking up at hhim, "It is!"

Sanji appeared from the kitchen, collapsing to the ground with a nose bleed when he caught sight of Nami and Robin leaning over the rail. While Nami had her butt picketed out, Robin was wearing a short purple dress that covered just enough, "Oh what a sight!" He sang, blood gushing from his nose.

"With a little more wind, we'd be able to see her panties!" Brook chortled, helping Sanji stand back up.

Mae looked at the two with disbelief before shaking her head with a laugh. Being on a ship with men, pirates nonetheless, that was something that she should have expected from at least one of them.

"It's so bright!" Chopper exclaimed, walking onto the deck and observing the bright light that laid directly ahead of them.

"Is that our next stop, Nami?" Luffy grinned, jumping down from the mast and taking a spot next to her.

Nami shook her head, "It wasn't out next stop," she said, looking down at her log pose, "but it is now."

"Ow! That's bright!" Franky called out, holding a hand over his eyes, "We are going to need some special shades for this stop!"

Robin turned to him with a gracious smile, "We'd appreciate that."

Franky raised his arms in the air and shook his hips. "I'll get right to it! Until then, don't go blind on me!"

* * *

"It's surprisingly cool for a desert," Robin noted, taking a step on the shore with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Everyone stood at the edge of the beach, ready to explore its unknown environment. The island appeared to go on for miles without a trace of life; neither human or animal. And there was a constant and gentle wind blew across the white sands of the desert.

Nami adjusted the goggles that Franky made for them, "Let's try to stay-"

"Woooohoooo!" Luffy shouted, shooting forward and into the distance.

"-Together." Nami sighed, throwing a hand into the air, "Luffy we should stay together!"

"Do you think anyone or anything lives here?" Brook asked, fixing the goggles on his head.

"An Island always has-" Pausing, Nami looked up at him and the goggles he wore. "You don't need those!" She exclaimed, waving a hand at him.

"Oh?" Brook reached up and touched the goggles. "I thought they made me look cool! Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!"

Chopper bounced up and down next to him, "They do!"

"Zoro, where are you going?!" Nami shouted, watching as the swordsman headed off in the opposite direction, "You're going to get lost!"

"I'm going to find dinner." He said, "Someone has to do it."

Sanji moved next to Nami and rolled up a sleeve. "I'll find dinner before you, Moss head!" He shouted, running after him.

Robin laughed at the carelessness of them, "Shall well?" She suggested to the remaining crew members.

"I think I'll stay back and watch The Thousand Sunny!" Chopper decided, "It doesn't look like there's anything for me here and besides, I don't want to get lost if someone needs a doctor!"

Brook nodded, "Good idea. I'll follow the ladies and provide them some company."

"Usopp?" Mae held a hand on her hip and offered him a smile, "Care to join me?"

"I think that I'll stay-"

Taking a hold of his hand, she yanked him next to her, "Come on! It will be fun."

"But Chopper might need me!"

Mae laughed, "I might need you. Now come on, let's go."

"I'll be fine!" Chopper excused, waving to the group.

"Thanks for the back up!" Usopp whined, not keen on the idea of exploring the island.

It was too quiet in his opinion.

As the group parted their separate ways, Usopp and Mae continued to head towards the center of the island. It had been over an hour and the two pirates had yet to see any sign of life. Between that time, the two shared short conversations about who they were and where they came from. Mae knew that a lot of what Usopp had to say was an obvious fib, but she didn't mind the wild tall-tales that he told. They entertained her.

As they continued to talk and explore, Usopp noticed that the heat was ongoing and relentless. Coming to a stop, he used a rag to wipe his forehead, "It feels like it gets hotter the further we walk towards the center of the island," he noted, "maybe we should turn around and head back."

Mae stopped next to him and to a look around. They were surrounded by hills of sand. Scratching at the back of her head, she looked over at him, "It's too early to turn back. I have a better idea."

Raising her right hand, she blew a soft breath into her palm and instantly snow began to fall. She then used her left hand and covered it. Shaping the snow, Mae raised a snowball up with satisfaction and then offered it to Usopp, "This should cool you down."

Usopp had wide eyes, "I forgot that you could do that!" he exclaimed while taking the snowball into his hands.

Creating her own snowball and bringing it to her lips, Mae smiled behind it before taking a bite. The snow almost tasted sweet, and it instantly cooled her down from the heat. Not that the heat bothered her too much, she actually was able to cool herself down without eating the snow. She was just thirsty.

Looking down at the snowball in his hand, "Is it sanitary?" Usopp asked.

"I'm clean if that's what you mean." She replied with a smirk.

"What? No! I didn't! Uhm-" Usopp waved his hand in front of him before shoving the snowball into his mouth, "See- I-"

"I was kidding! I have no idea how sanitary it is." Mae winked, taking another bite of the snowball.

Holding a hand to his mouth, Usopp debated whether or not to spit it out, "Uhm."

"It was either the snowball, send a blizzard our way or hold onto you until you were so cold that you'd pass out." Mae listed on her fingers.

"The snowball works for me." He decided with a faint laugh, "You actually taste pretty good!"

Mae raised a brow at the male, "You're eating snow... Not me."

Usopp fumbled over his words, "I-Uh-Ready?" He couldn't think of anything else to say and the more he talked the more he felt like he was embarrassing himself and insulting his new crew mate.

"Come on," Mae laughed, "there has to be something around here."

As she proceeded to take a step and turn in another direction, Mae found that it was impossible. Looking, down she noticed that the ground beneath them had a hold of their feet, "What in the world?"

Usopp attempted to move himself, but he couldn't and lost his balance right away. Falling into the female, he caused them both to collapse into the sand. And it welcomed their presence eagerly.

"What is this?" He shouted, attempting to lift himself back up, the sand swallowing his hands in feet in the process.

"Sinking sand!" Turning her eyes to the left of her and then to the right, Mae searched for something that could provide them with assistance.

Nothing was around though and as each second passed, they sank further into the sand. Holding herself close to Usopp, Mae attempted to wrap her arms around his body and hold herself further up from the sand, but it failed. Instead, her movements only hastened the sinking process.

Usopp's cheeks turned a dark hue as Mae's breasts pushed into. Shaking any thoughts he had from his head, "Can't you freeze the sand or do something?!" he shouted.

"No, that's not something I can do!" Mae replied, forcefully shaking her head against the sand.

They attempted to come up with a soloution to save themselves, but every idea that they came up with either had a faulty risk or wouldn't work. And with their constant struggling, it wasn't long until their entire bodies were engulfed by the sand.


	9. (IX) The Luminous Island Part 2

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated January 19, 2017

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

* * *

Usopp held onto Mae as they sank into the sand. Their lungs tightened and fought for oxygen as the warm granule substance enveloped around them like a blanket.

Panic washed over them as they submerged further down. All they could do in the mean time was anxiously wait as their life gradually faded. It was only a matter of time before they would lose all grasp on reality and fall unconscious. Just when all hope was lost, the sand suddenly let them go and sent them falling downward.

Usopp flailed his arms and let go of Mae. "We're free!" He shouted with delight.

Forcing her body to turn as she fell, Mae caught sight of a raging river with boulders and jagged rocks protruding from it. "Shit!" She shouted, raising her arms over her face in protection.

"Maybe not!" Usopp's eyes popped out of his head and he started to scratch at thin air, attempting to climb away from the water. He didn't have any success and in seconds he submerged into the river, the icy water engulfing his entire body.

Raising a quick hand, he grabbed a hold of a boulder and yanked himself above the water with a breath. "That was close! We should have been skewered!"

Using one of the smaller rocks to hoist himself up, Usopp scanned the area. "Mae?" Narrowing his eyes, he took another look around. "Mae?!"

And then it clicked.

"She can't swim!" He shouted to himself, holding a finger up in realization. "Hang on Mae!" Diving back into the water, he began his search for her. Pushing against the current, he swam towards the floor.

It wasn't hard to fight against the draft, but it wasn't easy either. At times like these, he was happy that he had those two years to train and get stronger.

Yanking the goggles that Franky made him onto his neck, he surveyed the water closely. Refusing to leave his crew mate behind, he swam further up stream, using rocks for support. "Mae!" He shouted against the water, accidentally inhaling a mouthful. Coughing, he reached a hand up to his neck and propelled himself back up of air.

"Bleh!" Spitting out the slime filled water, he took one last look around. "This isn't good!" He exclaimed before taking in a deep breath and diving back into the water.

The clock continued to tick and as each moment passed, he began to feel bleak. Mae was nowhere to be found. When his lungs refused to function, a consistent burning sensation overwhelming them, he came back up for air.

"Luffy's going to kill me!" He cried, his head jerking from right to left and left to right.

As he prepared to dive back into the water, Mae's voice suddenly reached his ears. "That'd be a shame... I was starting to like you."

Usopp's eyes fixed straight ahead and then he whipped his head back, looking up. Resting on the rocks behind him, Mae sat with a cheeky smile, waving innocently at him.

"Hey."

"Mae!" Usopp peddled himself around in the water. "I thought- But wait- How long have you been there?!"

Mae shrugged her left shoulder up and forward, revealing a rather large gash. "I fell on a rock rather than in the water. You're right, that was close... We could have been skewered."

His eyes widened. "Are you okay?! We need to get you to Chopper right away!" Usopp paused and then he raised an accusing finger at her. "You were here the whole time?! And you just sat there and watched me try to find you?!"

"It was kind of funny," Mae said with a grin, "and cute."

"That's not funny!" He exclaimed, holding a finger up to her. "I was worried!"

Reaching out, she took a hold of his finger. "It was funny."

Releasing his finger, she inclined her head back and looked above them. The sand was stirring continuously, moving in a particular motion that kept pushing it toward and then upward. It gave the impression of a constant pulse.

Following the ceiling of sand to the walls and then to the water around them, "We're obviously inside of the island," Mae said, "but how do we get out?"

Usopp inspected the area. "How about we start that way?" He suggested, looking at the riverfront that lead to a long and narrow path.

Mae followed his gaze. "That works." She shrugged, standing herself up and holding a hand out to Usopp. "Need help?"

Shaking his head, "Nope!" He declined, attempting to climb on the rock. The slime and moss covering it caused him to slip and fall back into the water.

Mae laughed at the sight. "Are you sure?"

Scratching at the back of his head, he grinned up at her before clawing at the rock and pulling himself up.

Mae knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. With a smile, she gave it a solid pat. "You did it!"

"I'm not weak!" Usopp declared, standing up and posing with his hands on his hips.

"All right Mr. Tough Man, let's start moving."

Jumping from rock to boulder, Mae hopped her way to the riverfront. When she reached the other side, she turned around and watched Usopp clumsily climb his way across. As he continuously fell into the water, she decided to help him out. Using her devil fruit powers, she whisked snow across the floor and over the rocks, creating a solid path for him to walk along. While it was amusing to watch him struggle, she knew that they didn't have time to play games. It was getting late and they still had no idea how to escape the cave that they were in.

Usopp slipped on another rock, but this time he ended up toppling onto a pile of snow rather than into an icy river. On his hands and knees, he looked around and then drew his attention to Mae. That's when he noticed that she had created a path of snow that led to the other side of the river.

Quick to stand up, he waved his arm at Mae. "Thanks!" He called before running across the snow and onto the land.

"No problem!" She saluted with her good hand. Looking at her shoulder, the wound beginning to bruise, she pushed out her lips thoughtfully. When an idea sparked, she took a hold of the tank top that she had on and tore the fabric along the bottom. Handing the cloth to Usopp, she nudged her head to the gash. "Do you mind?"

Usopp looked at the cloth in her hand then down at her abdomen with flushed cheeks. Promptly breaking his gaze, he turned his eyes elsewhere while snatching the piece of fabric. He couldn't help but notice that she had a tattoo leading down her hip, but he dismissed it without question.

Once his blush disappeared, he turned back to her. Wrapping the homemade bandage around her shoulder, he finished it off by tightening a knot in the fabric. Standing back, he observed his work. "Good?"

Mae smiled and gave a short nod. "Good."

Now standing side by side, the two fixed their eyes on the tunnel. The sand above them emitted a faint glow which lit the pathway ahead. The tunnels gave the impression that they went on for miles with several connecting passages.

"That's some tunnel." Mae whistled.

"Y-Yeah!" Usopp nervously agreed. "Maybe we should try to find another way out?"

Mae looked up at him with a smirk. "I think this is the only way out."

Without exchanging anymore words, they headed down the path, unaware to what rude awakenings were ahead. Each step they took led them further into the unfamiliar. And the longer they walked, the more hesitant Usopp became, his pace slowing down considerably.

Mae could tell that he was not thrilled about their situation. Extending her good arm out, she linked it with his without saying anything and pulled him close to her side.

Usopp inclined his head to the side, catching her in a short gaze. "Scared?"

Mae nodded. "Very." She answered with feign fear in her voice."

Throwing a fist into the air, "Don't worry! I won't let anything happen to you!" He assured her, canceling his own haunted thoughts.

Smiling, Mae turned her attention back to the towering walls around them. Suddenly the sound of foot steps filled the air and her heart skipped a beat. Lowering her eyes, she listened to their surroundings. "Do you hear that?" She whispered.

"Get back!" Usopp exclaimed in a harsh whisper, pushing her against the wall and pressing himself against her.

Holding his breath, he listened as the footsteps grew louder.

Mae muffled something against his chest, but stopped mumbling when the steps came to a stop. Holding a hand to his chest, she pushed him back just enough to give herself room to look in the direction of the voices.

Her heart fluttered anxiously when she saw two shadows towering in height. Straightening herself up, she peered up at Usopp and a grin reached her lips.

He had fear written all over his face.

In almost inaudible words, she whispered, "Let's go say hi."

Usopp stared at her dumbfounded. "Are you insane?!" He exclaimed, not as quiet with his own words.

Mae instantly reached up and covered his mouth with a hand. "Shhh..."

Looking over his shoulder hesitantly, Usopp checked to see if he had been heard.

"What was that?" A petite voice spoke from around the corner.

"It's probably just someone passing by." Another voice answered.

"Can we just hurry up? I want to go home." The other pleaded. "I'm hungry."

"Don't be such a baby." The second voice barked with annoyance. "You're the one who wanted to come with me to the other community."

Mae took a side step and moved away from Usopp. Nudging her head towards the voice, "Let's ask them how to get out of here." She whispered.

"Are you crazy?! They could be blood thirsty!" He objected loudly, his hands on his head in dismay.

"No, I just don't want to keep walking in circles." Mae answered, deciding to go with a practical solution.

Grabbing a tight hold on his hand, she yanked him along. Leading them towards the small voices that continued to bicker back and forth, they rounded a corner and came face to face with children who were no older than seven and twelve.

The seven-year-old was a dainty girl with long blonde locks of hair and piercing grey eyes that hid behind a fan of bands. She was wearing what appeared to be a potato sack, but it was fixed up and made into a dress.

The twelve-year-old shared similar features with shaggy blonde hair falling over his forehead and into his own grey eyes. His clothes were a pair of torn brown slacks and a dirty blue t-shirt.

Frightened by the sudden company, the young girl held out a javelin threateningly. "What do you want?!"

Mae held up her hands in defense. "Woah there! I'm not here to hurt you. We're actually just lost and need some assistance."

The boy shifted the knapsack he had over his shoulder and set it on the ground. Without delay, he reached behind himself and pulled out a slingshot. Aiming it at Usopp's head, he narrowed his eyes in concentration. "What do you mean lost? No one gets lost. The tunnels are marked and give clear directions to every community. Are you thieves?"

"No!" Usopp defened. "We are not thieves!"

"The sand," Mae inclined her head back and watched the circulating sands above, "it pulled us down here."

"Oh..." The girl lowered her javelin, following Mae's gaze.

"It's rare to find bodies around the tunnels and communities, but it happens." The boy mumbled, but kept his slingshot pointed at them. "No one's every lived through it though."

"Bodies?!" Usopp shouted bleary-eyed. "You mean, dead people?!"

"Mmmmmmcmm!" The young girl nodded. "No one ever lives when the pits catch them!"

Mae scratched at her arm, gnawing on her lower lip. "I suppose we got lucky." She said. Bringing her eyes back to the children, she knelt down to their height. "Do you know how to get back up?" She asked.

The boy shook his head and lowered his slingshot. "No."

"Haven't you been to the surface?" Mae asked, her forehead creasing as she frowned.

"Only the workers go to the surface, and the elders. Other than that, we have everything that we need down here!" The girl spoke up, gesturing to everything around them.

"So, someone knows how to get to the surface?" Mae mumbled, standing back up. "Can you take us to them?"

"You want to go to the elders?" The girl seemed surprised, blinking her eyes rapidly in confusion.

"Is that a problem?" Mae asked, tilting her head to the side.

The two children looked at each other and then grinned. "Nope!" They said in unison.

"We can show you the way!" The young girl took a hold of Mae's wrist. "I'm YeVanna by the way and that's my brother Brox!" She introduced.

Mae allowed the young girl to take her wrist. "Pleasant meeting you."

"The pleasantry is all ours!" The boy grinned. "We haven't met anyone from the outside before!"

Usopp shook his head. Slack-jawed, he waved his hands out in front of him. Unfavorable to the idea of following the strangers, "Mae! What are you doing?! We shouldn't go with them! They could be leading us into a trap!" He exclaimed.

"Usopp," Mae laughed, "they're kids. What hard could they do?"

YeVanna smiled. "You'd be safer with us!"

"Safer?" Usopp looked at the girl with distrust. "From what?"

"Does it matter? Usopp, let's just go. If we don't, we're bound to get even more lost."

It didn't take long to persuade Usopp to follow the children. In fact, when Mae mentioned that he would be left alone to fend for himself, he was more than willing to join them.

An hour passed and they had yet to see any sign of a community or town, passing by various types of people who disregarded them throughout the long and purposeless tunnels. It was becoming repetitive. And just when the two pirates were about to suggest another option to find their way out of the incessant tunnels, they came to a sudden stop.

Their mouths fell open as they observed the sight in front them.

An enormous village that had an assessment of overcrowded buildings extended through a large space that could be considered the size of a small island. Each building that occupied the space stacked on top of one another, making room for the next. They were aged, held together by rusted nails and cheap craftsmanship. Some appeared to be shops while other buildings looked like they were occupied by families.

What really caught Mae and Usopp's attention was the monumental structure in the center of everything. It had illuminating walls that lit up the entire village. Its entire form made of pure crystal. The designed replicated a kaleidoscope and the establishment stood proud. Not only was the tower breathtaking, but the surrounding fence that guarded it glimmered beautifully and behind the fence gardens bloomed.

"It's beautiful." Mae breathed unblinkingly. She was hesitant to close her eyes for even a moment, afraid that the structure would just disappear.

"That's where the elders live." Brox informed them. "Well, one of them. The other elders live in communities throughout the tunnels. They are the ones who can help you get back to the surface."

Reluctantly breaking her gaze from the tower, "That's good to hear." Mae smiled. "So there are more villages like this?"

"Yeah, there are three more. The only thing is, the elder in our village isn't available right now." Brox explained, pointing a finger to a tall gate. "Once that gate is closed, no one can enter until the next day."

YeVanna looked up at Mae with dolefulness. "I'm sorry."

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed bug-eyed. "Aren't they the ones who are supposed to help us get out of this place?!"

Brox gave a firm nod. "They will tomorrow."

"Are you kidding me?!" Usopp shouted, his hands covering his face. "What do we do now!?"

"Is there a hotel or an Inn by chance?" Mae asked, scanning the village briefly.

"A hotel?" Brox repeated, unfamiliar with the word.

"Inn?" YeVanna tested the word on her tongue. "What's that?"

"You know..." Mae hesitated in attempt to collect her words. "A place that lets you sleep for a night or-"

"Oh! Like a guest house?" Brox gathered, a fist pounding into the palm of his hand.

"Yeah, like a guest house." Mae knelt down beside the two children, her arms crossing over her knees. "Do you have one?"

"We do... But it isn't cheap..." The young boy dug in his pocket, pulling out nothing but a piece of string and a solid metal ball that was probably meant for his slingshot.

Mae stood back up, a hand ruffling into the boy's dirty hair. "Don't worry. We can take care of payment."

"We can?" Usopp looked at her quizzically. "With what beli?"

"Yours." Mae bounced a small pouch in her hand, winking at the male, "You dropped something awhile back."

"Hey, that's mine! You can't just take someone's stuff!" Usopp claimed, attempting to reach for the pouch.

"Ah-Ah-" Mae shoved it between her breasts, clicking her tongue against her teeth in a soft tisk. "That's a bit hypercritical."

Mae turned her attention to YeVanna as the young girl tugged at her tank top. "Yeah?"

"What is a beli?" She asked curiously, standing on her toes in order to look down Mae's blouse and at the pouch.

Looking between her breasts and then back at the child, "You don't..." Mae sighed. "Well this won't do us any good."

"What is it?" Usopp asked.

Mae ignored him. "What do you pay with?" she asked.

"Oh! We use mua." Brox answered, fixing the knapsack on his shoulder.

"Ma' owns a guest house! We can see if she'll let you stay for free!" YeVanna offered, lacing her fingers behind her back. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind! It's been awhile since she's rented hers out!"

Brox shook his head. "She would have a fit. We could sneak you in though..."

"We don't want to get you in any trouble." Mae objected, thoughtfully biting at her own cheek.

"The worse she'd do is whip us! And that happens every day anyways!" YeVanna giggled, rubbing at her bottom.

Mae looked between the two children and then at Usopp, "What do you think?"

"I don't like it," Usopp mumbled, "but we don't have a choice if we want to get out of here."

"All right then," Mae smiled, "Lead the way."

Brox handed the knapsack to YeVanna. "Take this to Ma', she'll be expecting it. I'll take these two to the guest house. Remember, don't say anything." He instructed, pressing a finger to his lips.

"Got it!" YeVanna grinned before grabbing the bag, turning on her heel and running down a long path.

"Follow me, and try to stay quiet." Brox said, motioning for them to follow him. "YeVanna will distracted Ma' for us."

It did not take long for the three to arrive to their destination. Brox led them through a few buildings and down a couple roads before he stopped in front of a decomposing building.

"It's kind of high up, but the guest room is on the top. We live not he floor below, so try to stay quiet or else Ma' will hear you."

"We really appreciate this." Mae smiled, ruffling her fingers through the boys hair and leaning down to give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Brox cheeks turned a deep shade of red and his eyes opened wide. "It's no problem!" he grinned sheepishly.

He reminded Mae of Viske.

Laughing, "Sorry. I guess that was too forward." Mae smiled, combing her fingers through locks of her brunette hair, untangling it.

"No! It's fine!" Brox waved bashfully. "Just follow me and stay close. Once I go inside, I'll make some ruckus with YeVanna and you two can sneak to the guest house. It's unlocked, so you shouldn't have a problem."

Mae and Usopp tip-toed behind Brox. Once he reached his destination, he broke off from the two and ventured into his home without another word. Slyly avoiding the windows, the two pirates set forth and climbed the rest of the stairs where they soon found themselves standing in front of an aged door.

The hinges of the door hung on for dear life, creaking softly as Usopp opened it. Looking into the building cautiously, they hesitatingly moved inside the unventilated room. The smell of stale mildew washed over them instantly.

"God it stinks!" Usopp complained, waving a hand in front of his nose. "Do they ever clean this place?"

"It is kind of," Mae hesitated, "Quaint."

"Well, I guess I'll take the floor." Usopp decided, finding an old blanket in the corner of the room. "Make sure you lock the door."

"Like that'd do any good." Mae mumbled, looking at the door.

Anyone could break through it, locked or unlocked.

Usopp took a seat in the corner, wrapping the blanket over his shoulders. "Should one of us keep watch? Just in case."

Looking out of a small window and examining the village below, Mae shook her head. "No. I'm sure we'll be fine up here. Let's just try to get some rest."

Turning her back to the window, she scanned the room. It was small and cramped and the entire building consisted of a single bed that rested against the wall, a counter with a broken stove and a bathroom.

Making her way to the bed, Mae drew the blankets back and bounced her hands against the mattress. "It's comfy." She murmured before slipping into the blanket's warmth. Typically the brunette would prefer to be in pajamas or even in the nude when she slept, but with their situation, she settled with keeping her clothes on.

Usopp opened a single eye. "Glad you're comfortable." He grumbled, shifting against the wall. Resting his eyes, he fell into a daze and then drifted off into a sound sleep.

Mae stared at the ceiling above her. It had terrible patchwork along it, nails crooked and pointing in different directions as they protruded from the wood.

Bringing a single arm behind her head for support, a soft sigh escaped her. The pain in her shoulder kept her awake, and the blood soaked garment on her arm was uncomfortable. Until they made it back to The Thousand Sunny though, she decided to disregard the poorly wrapped wound and focus on getting back to the surface.

It never occurred to her that an entire community would be beneath the sand, but here it was and full of life. It was bustling with different types of people when they first arrived, but as the hours went on, it settled down and a peaceful sense lingered.

The silence calmed Mae down from the anxious consistency she felt in her stomach. If it were not for the fact that they had stumbled across this site by accident and had no idea on how to reach the surface, it might have been interesting to explore. Since they had no clue on how to return to the sands above though, it made it hard for her to enjoy the discovery.

Mae caught sight of Usopp as she turned her head and rested a cheek against her arm. A fond smile extended across her lips. It was her first adventure with the Straw Hat Pirates and she was glad that she had Usopp with her to share the experience. He was one of her favorites on the crew. He wasn't the bravest, and even though he was scared half of the time, his enthusiastic personality was an encouragement and kept her positive.

As the time went on, an unfamiliar sound shifted from above her.

She tore her gaze from Usopp and to the patched up ceiling above her. Bits of sands fell through the cracks and onto the bed. It wasn't something that would typically bother her, seeing as they were in a building that was mounted on top of other buildings and sat close to the sandy surface, but the sound that came from it grew louder.

Perching herself up on her elbows, Mae narrowed her gaze and inspected where the sound was coming from. It didn't cross her mind as to why the ceiling had been patched, but as she thought more about it, she began to wonder. It appeared to be closed up more than once. Suddenly, a nail fell and smacked her in the face and before she could move, the ceiling came crashing down along with something else.

"Dammit!" A new voice shouted. "What was that?"

Usopp flung the blanket from his shoulders and prepared to attack the intruder. Quickly retreating his hand from the pouch that he kept at his side, he shoved a finger out in front of him with his mouth falling open.

"Zoro?!"


	10. (X) The Luminous Island Part 3

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

This chapter has been updated January 19, 2017

More updates may be made to this chapter in the future.

Everyone makes mistakes, it just takes time to catch them sometimes.

* * *

Zoro crossed his legs casually and hugged his arms over his scarred chest. "What happened?"

"You fell through the roof!" Usopp shouted. "That's what happened!"

"Hmm." Zoro mumbled with a lack of concern, taking a look around the room.

Mae groaned from under the planks of timber. "Can you get off of me?" Not bothering to give him a chance to move on his own, she shoved him off.

"Watch it!" He shouted as he was pushed from the bed.

"You were the one on top of me!" Mae bit angrily, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed.

Putting a delicate hand over her shoulder, she glowered at Zoro. She could feel the heat emitting from the injury and a rapid pulse continuously grabbing at it viciously. The gash had opened back up, bleeding and percolating through the homemade bandage.

Zoro moved across the room and stared out the window. "Where are we?"

"Under the island...? In the island...?" Usopp rested his chin on a fist, thinking about it briefly. "Somewhere."

"We're in a village right now." Mae explained. "According to a couple of kids, there are four community villages built beneath the sand and sectioned off by multiple tunnels. We don't know much about this place other than that though. We got here the same way you did."

Mae stood up and inspected the mess that Zoro made. Aside from some sand, a couple of nails and splinters covering the blanket, nothing was broken. Well, except for the roof. Taking a hold of the blanket, she started to shake off the scraps. "The kids let us stay here for the night."

Usopp nodded his head in agreement to everything that Mae had said. "Oh and we can't get out of here. Or at least, we don't know how. We have to wait until some kind of elder shows us or something like that."

"Can't we just cut our way out?" Zoro suggested, taking a spot next to Mae and looking up at the enormous hole in the ceiling.

"Or we could try climbing through the sand." Mae jeered. "Why don't you try it first?"

Zoro sneered at her. Moving back to the window, he peered out of the distorted glass. Pressing his shoulder against the frame, he leaned forward to get a better view of the ceiling outside. It was made of a solid texture with a few dispersed sections of sand stirring continuously.

Holding a hand to the hilt of his sword, he faced them. "I could cut it." He said with confidence.

"Oh, no you don't!"

The front door swung open and reveled a relatively short and obese woman. Her hair was tied up in a tight bun with a few blonde strands disarrayed and sticking out. She had similar eyes to Brox and YeVanna, indicating that she was related to the two children. They even shared the same oval face and high cheek bones.

"What are you doing in my house?" The woman shouted, swinging a roughed up dough roller around in the air.

YeVanna appeared behind the woman, stretching her legs open and forcing herself between them. "We couldn't hold her back!"

"You were supposed to keep your voice down!" Brox scolded, pushing past the door frame and the woman's large body. It was a surprise that he didn't get lost in the plump rolls that drooped down in multiple layers around her waist line.

"It isn't our fault." Mae mumbled, jabbing her thumb in Zoro's direction. "This moron fell through the roof."

"Who are you calling a moron?!" Zoro shouted defensively.

The floor creaked and strained when the woman took a step forward. "Who are you and what are you doing in my guest house?"

"I'm Mae, this is Usopp and that's Zoro." Mae introduced calmly. "We were only here for the night. We are lost and-"

"And that gives you a reason to take advantage of us? We scrape as it is! It's rude not to consider paying!" The woman shouted, continuing to wave the roller in the air carelessly.

Brox ducked his head out of the way to avoid a nasty beating. Resting his hands against the woman's stomach, he attempted to hold her back and prevent her from stepping further into the room. "Ma'!" He pleaded. "You told us to never turn someone away if they were in need of a place to stay!"

"They fell through the sand and survived!" YeVanna explained, still awestruck that they had lived through the mess. "And they carry something called beli. They don't have any mua."

Ma' waved the roller at the three strangers. "You think you can freeload off of me?" She snapped before shifting her eyes threateningly to the children. "And I said to never turn them away as long as they had payment! I'll make sure that your father deals with you two once he gets home!"

"Uh-" YeVanna looked around, "Uh-" She couldn't come up with an excuse no matter how hard she tried. Grabbing at her bottom, she moved back. Their father always punished them with a familiar wooden spoon, spanking them until he was sure they that had learned their lesson.

"And you know how much he hates dealing with you after a long day of work." Ma' added.

"We'll pay you," Mae spoke up, "with labor."

"There isn't anything that I need help with." Ma' said, tucking the roller into her waist, half it disappearing between two fat rolls.

"The roof," Mae looked up at the rather noticeable hole in the ceiling "we'll patch it up."

The woman inclined her head back and barked out a rather unruly laugh. "You were the ones who put it there in the first place!"

YeVanna tugged at Ma's tattered shirt, batting her eye lashes vigorously. "Ma'..."

"Don't you bat those pretty little lashes at me! I can't afford to let them stay here!" The woman insisted, swatting at Yevanna and ushering her away.

Usopp took a step forward. "We'll repair the hole and whatever else you need fixed."

"By the time you fix everything in here, it would be morning. What would the point of staying here be?" She snorted, jerking her hand to various sports in the room.

Mae took a look around the room, taking note of everything that needed to be repairs.

There were quite a few things in the guest house that needed to be fixed up. It wasn't the most well-kept building. The door hinges needed to be tightened, if not replaced, the window needed to be resealed, the stove needed to be restored, and the floorboards needed to be nailed back down.

Multiple tasks were at hand, but Mae was confident that they could repair them. And even if it took all night, they at least would have a place to stay until the next morning. It was better than wondering around aimlessly and finding themselves lost in the tunnels again.

"We just need a place to keep ourselves occupied until the morning." Mae said. "We have nowhere else to go. And we can go without sleep if it takes all night to fix the damages."

A lengthy sigh escaped Ma', her teeth gnawing at the inside of her cheek. Narrowing her eyes in contemplation, she stayed quiet for a few minutes. Then, with a hefty breath from her flared nostrils, she nodded. "All right. You'll need tools and a fresh bandage for that arm of yours."

Brox and YeVanna shared a look before jumping up and down. "Really?! They can stay?!"

Mae held her shoulder, the warm blood pressing against the palm of her hand. "Thanks."

"But tomorrow morning you best be gone," Ma' warned, "or else I'll call for assistance to remove you."

"Got it!" Usopp saluted. "We'll be out of here as soon as we talk to the elder!"

Ma' faltered, a peculiar expression etching across her face. "The elders?"

"Yeah. They can help us get back to the land above, right?" Mae asked. She didn't like the way Ma' held herself at the mention of the elders.

Ma' ran a chubby hand over her hair, taking a hold of the bun on the top of her head and grabbing at it. "I suppose... If you're lucky."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Lucky?"

"The elders don't permit anyone to travel to the surface unless you're an assigned laborer."

"An assigned laborer?" Usopp repeated her last words, tilting his head curiously.

"Yes. Each male of the house hold is assigned to be a laborer when they turn fifteen and continue their duty until-" Ma' paused, a solemn look washing over her face. Waving a dismissing hand, "It's been like this for over a century... Before I was even born. Females aren't permitted to go to the surface, so I haven't seen it or know how to reach it. Most of us haven't a clue." She explained.

"But we came here by accident, so they should let us go... Right?!" Usopp asked, staring at the woman with panic. "We aren't from around here!"

Ma' squeezed the bun in her hand. Looking to the side thoughtfully, "We've never had guests before. Almost always, no, always, when someone comes through those pits above, they don't come out alive. You three are the first. I don't know how they'll handle your request."

Mae looked over at Usopp and could tell that he wasn't excited about this information, a haunted expression washing over him. And she could tell that Zoro wasn't pleased by this answer either, but he kept a calm and collective stance.

Rubbing at her face stressfully, "I guess we'll wait and see." She mumbled.

"Or I could cut through the ceiling." Zoro suggested again, still confident that he could make his own opening to the surface.

"That wouldn't work." Ma' said. "You'd suffocate us."

"Huh?" Usopp scratched at his head, "How would cutting the ceiling suffocate you?"

"If you cut the ceiling, it would leave a massive hole above the entire village. And that massive hole would give the sand an opportunity to flow through and on top of everything and everyone down here. Sand is quick and heartless. You'd have us all killed in a matter of hours."

Zoro shrugged casually. "As long as we got out..."

Usopp smacked him on the back of the head. "Don't be heartless!" He exclaimed.

"We'll wait until tomorrow to talk to the elders and see what happens." Mae decided. "Until then, thank you for letting us stay here."

Ma' turned on a heel gracelessly. "Don't thank me. Just fix everything and we'll call it even." She said over her shoulder, ushering the children along. "I'll send Brox up with some tools and bandages."

Usopp deflated and fell to the floor in dismay once Ma' left. "What if we never get out?!"

Mae sat back on the bed, shifting uncomfortably as a nail jabbed her in the butt. "We will." She said, reaching for the pointy object and tossing it aside.

"I have no problem with cutting our way out." Zoro said, still keen about his own idea.

"And kill an entire village and maybe more?!" Usopp exclaimed. "Let's just fix this place up and wait for tomorrow!"

Mae held her stomach as it vibrated hungrily. "Do you think they have anything to eat around here?"

"Or something to drink?" Zoro found a spot in the middle of the room and took a seat.

"Doubt it! It was buzzing with people earlier, but," Usopp stood up and moved over to the window, "it looks like everything is closed now. Besides, what could we buy? We're technically broke."

"The whole community seems poor." Mae mumbled, remembering what she had seen on the streets as they were led to the guest house.

It was a heart wrenching sight. Most of the children wore clothes that replicated YeVanna's sack-made dress. And the clothes were either too big or too small for their bodies; most being too big due to a handful of the children's skin clinging to their bones.

Men and women wore tattered and worn out clothes as well, the once vibrant colors faded into dull hues. Some of the woman were rather large, like Ma', but Mae assumed that it was because of a health issue rather than excessive eating. The stores they traveled by were bare or offered minimal food that appeared to be weeks old.

The front door swung open, interrupting Usopp and Zoro's conversation and breaking Mae from her thoughts.

Brox came strolling into the room with a tool belt in hand. "Sorry it took so long! I tried to find some bandages, but it turns out we are all out."

"Took so long? You were only gone for two minutes!" Usopp exclaimed. "But thanks for the tools! I will have everything patched up in no time!"

"Don't worry about the bandages, I'll be fine." Mae smiled, hiding her disappointment. She reached a hand to her shoulder and added pressure to the wound, relieving some of the pain.

Brox shook his head. "We don't have any, but you can go to the store to buy some. A few shops are open during the night for the late shift workers."

Mae shoved her hand into a pocket and yanked out the material, "With what mua?"

The young boy looked behind him cautiously. "I took this from Ma'." He held his hand out, a few spare coins resting in the palm. "It's enough to get some bandages."

"No, no. I'll be fine." Mae insisted, holding a hand up dismissively. "Go put that back where you found it."

"Please, I don't mind! I've taken mua from her plenty of times. She never notices." The boy stepped forward, his hand extending out to Mae.

"He went through the trouble to steal it, just take it and buy some bandages." Zoro scoffed.

Staring down at the coins, Mae sighed. "All right. Thank you." She smiled, taking the coins from Brox and shoving them into her pocket. "I appreciate it."

"Yup!" Brox grinned, happy that he could help. "The store isn't far from here. Just climb down the stairs and take a left. Don't stop until you hit a dead end and then turn right, the store will be visible from there. It has a large sign hanging out front, you can't miss it."

"I'll go with you." Zoro decided, standing up from the floor. "I want to take a look around."

"Left, dead end, then right. Got it." Mae stood up from the bed. "We'll try to be quiet coming in and out."

Brox opened his mouth to speak, but instead he laughed as a rumble echoed from Mae's stomach, "I'll try to sneak you something to eat later." He said.

Holding her stomach with red cheeks, Mae gave a short chuckle, "That'd be great."

"And if you'd like, I can help you out!" Brox walked over to Usopp's side, kneeling down next to him.

Usopp looked up from the tools that he was inspecting. "Oh- That'd be great! Are you sure your-" He paused, trying to decide what title to give the older woman.

"She's my mom and she won't care." Brox grinned, reaching for the hammer in the belt and tugging it out.

Mae looked between the two. "We'll be back. Don't have too much fun." She smiled, shoving a single hand into her pocket and spinning around to follow after Zoro.

The directions that Brox gave them were exact and it didn't take long for them to find their destination.

The store was worn out, blending in with the rest of the town. A large sign hung crooked above the door with bold letters that spelt out the word 'Store'. The sign set the building apart from everything else.

Inside, two shelves stood in the middle of the room with a variety of nonspecific items ranging from snacks, to toilet paper, to cups and plates, to other necessities. It was obvious that this store was as poor as the people around it.

Casually walking alongside the two shelves, Mae inspected the items that it held. Bandages were nowhere to be seen. Cupping her chin with a huff, she took a few steps back and restarted her search from the top of the shelf down to the bottom. After a few seconds, she spotted the bandages and a cheap looking ointment to go with it. Grabbing the items in her hands, she moved to the counter where a man sat hiding behind a rather sizable book.

"I'd like to buy these." Mae smiled, fumbling in her pocket for the coins and placing them onto the counter top.

The man peered over his book before looking back down. "That's not enough."

Mae cringed at his impolite tone. "It's all I have... Can't you-"

"Nope. Find someone else to bother." He dismissed, holding his book up higher.

"Ok..." Mae grumbled. "How much for just the bandages?"

"Still not enough." He was short with Mae, continuing to avoid eye contact.

The bandages weren't necessarily needed, nor was the ointment, but Mae knew that it would relieve some of the ache if she were to properly wrap the injury as well has help avoid infection. She rubbed her sweaty palms against her pant leg, opening her mouth to negotiate.

Before she could speak though, Zoro took a step in front of her. "It's enough." He said.

The man set his book down, gandering at the sight before him. His cheeks twitched with irritation and he squinted his eyes causing the wrinkles around them to crease even more. Lacing his hands in front of him and on the counter, he leaned forward. "You think you can scare me?"

Mae squeezed between Zoro and the counter, holding both of her hands out in front of the two men. "It's ok. I'll do without."

Zoro didn't budge from his position, and neither did the old man. They kept an unbending stare with each other, the silence thick with tension. And just when Mae was about to usher Zoro out of the store, the old man let out a lengthy sigh and swiped the coins from the counter. "Just don't go telling folks I gave ya' a deal. I don't need people coming in here asking for hand outs."

"Really?" Mae said with surprise. Offering a grateful smile, she scooped up the bandages and ointment. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't come back, but if you do-" The old man shot an intimated glance in Zoro's direction, "-Don't bring him."

Mae laughed. "Deal." She said with a short nod before taking her leave.

Zoro didn't say another word and followed after the her, catching up rather quickly. Blinking, he took a side glance when he noticed that Mae was staring at him and they were no longer moving.

"What?" He asked, his tone naturally bitter.

Mae smiled up at him. "I owe you a thanks."

"For what?" He took a step forward and then another, continuing until he was walking ahead of her.

"Uh-" Mae stumbled over herself as she followed after him. "For what you did back there. Thank you."

He didn't reply.

Mae sighed, watching the back of his head while she walked behind him. Coming to a sudden stop though, she looked around. "You're leading us the wrong way." Extending her arm, she pointed down another path. "We need to go this way."

Zoro stopped and looked in the direction that she gestured to. Without a word, he changed his steps and headed down the right path. It did not take them long to find their way back and when they returned, they were greeted by an opened door.

Zoro walked into the building first, cautiously searching the room. It was vacant. A few things were patched back up, but the ceiling still had a large hole in it and apparently now the floor had one too.

Mae walked around the hole while looking down at it, "What happened?"

"Your forsaken friend broke my floor!" Ma's voice came from below, startling Mae. "I sent him to the junk yard with Brox to find spare pieces so he could fix it!"

"Moron." Zoro muttered under his breath, observing the damage.

"It's a relatively large hole." Mae mumbled, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You think?!" Ma' shouted mockingly. "You guys are costing me!" The fat woman had a few other things to say under her breath, but Mae pretended that she didn't hear the constant insults and moved over to the bed, taking a seat.

Setting the bandages and ointment next to her, she pressed her chin against her shoulder and bit at the fabric around it. Tugging on the material with her teeth, she used her free hand to yank and untie it. She struggled to remove the blood stained cloth, but she was making progress.

Clenching her jaw tight, she bit down harder and pulled at it. Soon, the bandage loosened and she was able to peel the sticky, blood stained fabric off of her arm. Tossing the material aside with a sigh of relief, she shrugged her shoulder up and down a couple of times.

"You look pathetic." Zoro muttered, watching as she attempted to take care of her injury.

"Huh?" Mae looked up at him. "I'm trying." She murmured. It wasn't her fault that she didn't have a doctor to help her. Or Usopp.

"You have blood on your face." He pointed out with a vacant stare, taking notice of the dry speck of blood that crusted over her cheek.

Mae wiped her finger across her cheek, smudging the mess. "Did I get it?"

"You're hopeless." Zoro mumbled, removing his swords and setting them against the bed's post.

Taking a seat next to her, he snatched the bandages from the bed and tore off a small piece. Setting the rest of it down, he started to wipe as much blood as he could off of her shoulder.

Mae flinched as he rubbed against the gash and the surrounding skin aggressively, making it feel as if he were about to rub her flesh right off. "Not so rough!" She snapped, jerking her arm away.

"Don't be such a baby." He scoffed as he continued to rub the skin raw, ignoring her.

Mae inclined her head back, letting out a lengthy groan between a clenched jaw. "You're awful at this!"

Zoro ignored her persistent bellyaching. Tearing off another piece of gauze, he reached over Mae and took the ointment into his grasp. Untwisting the top, he trickled a few drops onto the gauze and began to dab at her shoulder, soaking the thick gel into the wound.

Mae became distracted from the pain when Zoro stretched over her, the sudden closeness causing her cheeks to flush. It was a strange and new emotion that sank in. Swallowing the nervous feeling that veiled over her, she turned her attention elsewhere.

Once Zoro finished applying the ointment, he began wrapping the bandages around her arm and shoulder. It was hard to work around the tank top she wore, but he was able to slip the bandage beneath the straps without having the female remove any clothing.

When he finished wrapping her arm, Mae looked down at her shoulder and inspected his work. Her lips parted slightly and then they tightened into a thin line as she tried to swallow down a laugh.

Licking her lips, "It's a good thing you aren't a doctor." She breathed, forcing back her laughter.

"Go to hell." Zoro growled, standing up from the bed. "If you wanted someone to do a better job, you shouldn't have asked me."

Mae broke down and began to laugh. "I didn't ask you! You just started cleaning it yourself!" She pointed out, picking up the mess on the bed and tossing it onto the floor into a semi-neat pile.

"Well-" Zoro fumbled with irritation, his eyebrow twitching.

The two were interrupted, Brox and Usopp barging through the door with stacks of wood over their shoulders. "We've got plenty of wood to fix up this entire village!" Usopp grinned.

"Good!" Ma' shouted from below them. "Now get back to work!"

There was silence.

"And get your butt down here for dinner!" She added after a few seconds, her words directed at Brox.

The boy fumbled with the wood, startled by the sudden outburst. "Ok!" He cried out, straightening himself back up. Piling the wood onto the floor, "I'll be back-"

"No you won't! You still have your father to deal with!" The woman bit out. "And he'll be home any minute!"

Brox rubbed the back of his head with a nervous chuckle. "I guess I won't be back." He said before cupping his hands around his mouth. "But I'll throw up some bread..." His voice was so low, that they could barely hear him.

Before any of them could thank him, the young boy was already out of the house and thumping down the stairs to meet his father and most likely the wooden spoon.


	11. (XI) The Luminous Island Part 4

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

I forgot to mention that I was going to be away on vacation for over a week. Thank you for your patience. Please enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Mae found herself lost in a trance as she watched Usopp's chest rise and fall in deep, rhythmic breaths. The recollection of her accident kept repeating itself like a damaged video tape, replaying the same scene over and over again. She knew that she could have easily avoided the rocks in the raging river, and yet here she was, injured and feeling useless. Certain that she could have prevented the mishap, Mae cursed at herself for not being more focused and open minded. If she had been more aware of her powers, if she had practice more rather than played with them, she could have easily been able to let the jagged rock slip through snow rather than flesh.

The constant ache in her shoulder was a reminder that she had to train hard in order to keep up with her new crew and survive. If she were to continue on the harsh seas with the Straw Hat Pirates, she was going to have to become stronger. "I want to become stronger. I need to become stronger." Mae whispered, staring at the ceiling with determination.

"You won't become stronger by pure want," Zoro spoke up, "And you won't get stronger by dwelling on your family."

Mae pushed herself onto her elbows, the bed creaking at her subtle movements. Looking in the direction of the swordsman, she puckered her lips as if she has just tasted something sour, "I know." She said, "And I'm not dwelling on my family." Inclining her head from right to left, a soft breath released as multiple cracks emitted from her neck.

Zoro scoffed, standing himself up from the floor and adjusting his swords, "Then why are you crying?"

Taken back by his words, Mae brought herself upright, the blanket that was tight around her shoulders now falling to her waist. Reaching to her cheek, she brought her fingers across the smooth, tanned skin. Her cheek was dry, but she could feel that it had been stained by tear drops. Running her tongue along the front of her teeth, Mae looked away. "I wasn't crying," She mumbled, her eyes turning back to Zoro and following him as he crossed over the floor and towards the door, "Where are you going?"

Opening the door, Zoro took a step forward, "I'm tired of waiting." He said, not bothering to turn around and face Mae, who was staring him down, "I'm going to find my own way out." Moving outside, he held a hand to the door's surface, peering down at the village below them.

"Do you think that is a good idea?" Mae's words fell from her lips, disappearing into an inaudible whisper as the front door closed, the swordsman disregarding her completely.

Mae's hands laid limp in her lap, a hard stare being directed at the closed door. Rubbing her finger tips together in a relentless manner, she brought her lower lip between her teeth and began to gnaw at it. Zoro had a point, it was tiring to wait for someone's help. Someone's help that they were not sure was actually going to be given to them. On the other hand, they could just end up lost and hours of their time could be wasted as they tried to find a way out.

Bringing the blanket back around her shoulders, Mae moved herself to the edge of the bed, her eyes falling to Usopp who was fast asleep in the corner of the room. Drool dribbled down his jaw, a single hand sloppily removing the droplets every now and then. His other hand held a hammer close to his cheek, using it as a rather uncomfortable pillow. He looked so peaceful, and Mae thought that it would be a shame to wake him up after all of the work that he had done just so that they could have a place to stay for the night.

Her cheeks swelled up as a smile crossed her lips, "No reason to leave you behind." Standing herself up from the bed, she moved herself next to the long nosed pirate and knelt down. With care, she brought the blanket around his shoulders and tucked him in. Creeping back carefully on her knees, Mae proceeded to stand herself up, but came to a sudden stop when the roof began to creak and bits of sand descended onto the floor. With furrowed brows, she looked above them and mumbled under her breath a soft, "Not again."

Assuming that another person was about to topple through the ceiling and onto them, Mae took a step back and waited for a brief moment. When nothing happened, and the creaking and sand stopped, she curiously inclined her head towards the door. Adjusting the goggles around her neck, she moved to the front door and swung it open. Peering outside, she looked up at the roof and noticed that along the edge, two legs swung back and forth. "Hello?" Mae whispered with uncertainty, closing the door behind her as she took a step outside.

It was dark, which made it extremely difficult to see who the figure was. Squinting her eyes, as if that would help her see more clearly, Mae repeated herself once more, "Hello?" When there wasn't a response, she advanced for the ladder that led to the roof and attempted to climb it quietly.

The creaking of each step she took gave her position away instantly, causing the figure to jump up and smack their head against the sandy ceiling, "Ow!"

"Brox? Is that you?" Kneeling down on all fours, Mae crawled her way to the young boy, "What are you doing up here?"

Rubbing at his head, Brox groaned from the pain, "That hurts..." He muttered while continuing to rub at the knot. Brox turned his attention to Mae, watching as she crawled her way over to him. In an instant, his cheeks flushed and he turned his head away in order to avoid eye contact with her breasts. The position she was in caused the tops of them to become extremely visible.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Mae found a spot next to him, her legs dropping over the edge of the roof. "It's pretty late, isn't it?" She asked, leaning forward to rest her elbows onto her knees, bending forward in order to give herself more headspace. The roof was so close to the ceiling, that it was hard to keep a proper posture.

Brox cleared his throat, a hefty sigh following after. Continuing to avoid eye contact, he shook his head, "No. Yes. I guess... I come up here to think sometimes."

Looking down at the dimly lit village, "It almost seems peaceful from up here," Mae smiled, "I can see why you'd come up here."

"Yeah. _Almost_ peaceful." Brox mumbled, his hands on either side of him, grasping at the edge of the roof.

Tilting her head, Mae caught a side glance at the young boy, "Do you like it down here?" She asked curiously.

Brox caught her gaze, "Sure?" He answered with a slight shrug, "I guess it's ok. I mean, it's home."

Scratching at her arm, the wound a tad bit itchy under the bandage, Mae tore her eyes from his and observed the town below, "It's home..." She mumbled under her breath. Turning her eyes to meet his own once more, "What-" Pausing, she bit at her lip, "If you don't mind me asking... What do the laborers do down here? Or up there."

"I don't know." Brox said with a strained sigh, "I don't know."

Mae's hair cascaded over her shoulders as she shook her head, "You don't know?"

"No one knows what they do. The only people who are aware of the work are the laborers themselves and the elders." Brox explained, his fingers tightening around the edge of the roof. They began to turn white from the sudden lack of circulation. "We have a strict system down here. The men work and the woman stay home to take care of the household." Brox took in a long breath before releasing it, his hands moving from the roof to his lap.

"How come no one knows what they do?" Mae pressed on, wanting more answers to her questions. And she had a lot of questions.

Brox scratched at his neck uncomfortably, avoiding eye contact, "It's forbidden to know. My mom might be able to explain it better..."

Mae kept silent while she processed the information that he had shared with her. It left her confused and wanting to know more, but with how uncomfortable Brox appeared to be by her questions, she decided to change the subject, "So... What do you like to do for fun?"

Brox let out a lengthy yawn, his arms stretching above him and his hands pressing flat against the sandy ceiling, "I like to fish... Or draw."

"What kind of things do you draw?" Mae leaned back onto the roof, bringing her arms behind her head.

"Anything really. I like to image the world above and draw what it might look like." He shrugged, following her lead and leaning back with his arms pulled behind his head.

Mae smiled, "It's a big world up there."

Brox turned his head, "Have you explored it?" he asked, curiosity lingering in his eyes.

"No. I haven't explored it. Not yet. I recently left my island." Mae said, "I left my home to be on the sea."

"Is it scary?" Brox looked back at the ceiling, images crossing his mind as he thought of what it might be like to explore the lands above.

Shaking her head, "No. At first I was hesitant to leave my family. My brother especially. But... I don't regret it."

The young boy sucked in a yawn, his eyes tearing up from exhaustion, "Tell me about your home, and the sea. I've only heard stories about the sea... Is it big?" he mumbled, shifting comfortably on the roof. His eyes fought to stay open, but he wasn't ready to fall asleep. Not yet.

"The sea is endless. It's an extraordinary thing." Mae whispered, closing her eyes as she imaged the beautiful blue waters, "You'd like it."

"I'm listening..." Brox mumbled, continuing to fight his weary eyes.

"Well..." Mae began to describe her home on the island, where she came from originally, and how she ended up at sea with the Straw Hat Pirates. Brox listened intently for quite sometime before a wave of exhaustion hit him and he drifted off into a sound sleep. Mae didn't realize that the young boy was asleep until a snort escaped him, followed by shallow breathing.

Perching herself up onto her elbows, she looked down at him with a smile. He appeared to be under a lot of stress just moments ago, but now he was peacefully sleeping. Mae stretched herself into an awkward squatting position, trying not to wake Brox up. She knew that it was about time to head back in, but she didn't want to leave the boy outside on his own. Reaching for him, she gently grabbed his arm and pulled him up from the roof and onto her back. It was easy to bring him onto her back, since she was so low on her knees, but Mae found it difficult not to bang his head or even her own head onto the ceiling as she crawled back to the ladder. When she reached the ladder though, she was able to escort Brox down without difficulties.

It did not take long to reach the front door of his home. There was a dim light shining through the window, which gave Mae hope that someone was still awake and that she was not disturbing anyone's sleep. Looking from her right to her left, she took a moment before reaching a free hand out and giving a gentle knock against the door. It felt as if her hand would sink into the wood with how soft the texture had become after so many years of wear, tear and rot. In seconds, the door flung open and Mae was face to face with his mother.

"What do you want?" The woman sighed, a weakness in her tone of voice.

Mae fumbled, "Oh- Your son," Shifting herself forward, she revealed the young boy on her back, "He fell asleep."

The woman's expression softened. "Oh. I was wondering where he went off to. I assume his typical spot on the roof? Follow me, we'll put him in my bed. YeVanna took over his room, and he doesn't like to sleep on her piss stained bed."

"He seemed worried, so I stayed on the roof with him until he fell asleep listening to me talk about nonsense." Mae explained, carrying Brox on her back as she followed after the woman.

Ma' smiled gesturing to a large, worn-down bed. "He likes nonsense. I am sorry about earlier. About my fit. I've had a long day and it just got longer only hours ago."

Setting Brox down onto the bed, Mae carefully pulled a blanket over his body and tucked him in from head to toe. Brushing her fingers through his hair, she smiled, "He reminds me of my brother. Maybe it's just because they are so close in age."

Ma' moved herself next to Mae, setting herself down on the bed and reaching to hold her son's hand, "He is very young, isn't he? Brox is going to need all the sleep that he can get tonight."

"Is he going somewhere?" Mae asked, taking a step back from the bed.

"As a matter of fact, he is." The woman's nostrils flared as she let out a breath, her unattractive features becoming even more unflattering, "He starts work tomorrow."

Reaching a hand to her brunette locks, Mae brought them over her right shoulder, "Work?"

"Yes. Work." Ma' repeated herself, lifting into an upright position and then standing up from the bed.

"But didn't you say that the men start work at the age of fifteen? Isn't Brox-"

"Twelve... He is twelve and he has been requested to start tomorrow." Combing a hand through her thick locks of golden blonde hair, Ma' frowned down at her young son.

"If you don't mind me-"

Ma' chuckled, "You're a curious one, aren't you? Follow me and shut the door behind you."

Closing the door behind her carefully, not wanting to disturb Brox, Mae crept through the open hallway and found herself it what appeared to be a living room. It was damp and smelt awful, even worse then the guest house. Fighting the urge to plug her nose with her fingers, Mae found a spot on the floor and took a seat. Not long after she took her seat, Ma' began to speak.

"Do you see this?" Ma' held a red slip between two fingers, the edges folding with gravities pull, "This is a red slip." She waved the piece of paper at Mae.

Mae took the red piece of paper into her hand, inspecting it, "What does it mean?"

"When a male member of your household loses their eye sight, a red slip is delivered to your door step." Ma' explained.

Mae's expression fell at the woman's word, "And you received this... When?" In the back of her mind, Mae was holding onto hope that this red slip was years old.

"Tonight." Ma' whispered, her body collapsing onto a raggedy couch, the cushions sinking in and consuming her body.

"Then that would mean your-"

"My husband has lost his sight. And at a young age. The men don't typically lose their sight until they reach the age of seventy or even eighty. As for my husband though, he lost his eye sight at the age of fifty-five." Ma' played with a strand of hair before she tore it from the root, flicking it aside and onto the couch's arm.

"Is it a trait? Is it in their veins, in their blood that cause them to go blind?" Mae questioned, pressing on for answers.

"It isn't in our blood. We are not told what causes the men to lose their eye sight and we are forbidden to question it." She sighed, "The men are even forbidden to tell us. All we, the women and young boys under the age of fifteen, understand is that the work that the elders have them do, may be the very cause of the loss in sight." Clenching her fingers into the couch's cushion, Ma' fought back a snarl, "No. We do know, it is the work that causes them to go blind. We aren't foolish. We just don't know what type of work they are told to do."

Mae folded the red slip into a small square, and offered it back to Ma'. "So, the work that they are required to do causes them to go blind. And it is forbidden to ask what type of work they are instructed to do? Surely someone has slipped before and mentioned what goes on."

"Someone has slipped in the past, but those who found out, disappeared." Ma' shook her hand at Mae, allowing her to keep the piece of paper, "There are consequence. There hasn't been anyone foolish enough to speak about the labor since YeVanna's birth. What I do recall is that if someone is to find out, the elders request an urgent meeting and those who are beckoned, never return."

"Where is your husband now?" Mae regretted her words, pain washing over Ma's face.

The older woman ran both of her hands through her locks of blonde hair, grasping them tight at the roots. "When the workers go blind, their services are no longer needed." Ma' spoke, licking at her dry lips, "Which means, they are no longer needed in this community and they are found useless."

"So... What happens to them? Surely it can't be helped that they lose their eye sight." Mae said, shaking her head and furrowing her brows.

"The men do not return home. We are not aware as to where they go and we are not permitted to ask where they are either. Once you receive that red slip," Ma' gestured towards the piece of paper Mae kept a hold of, "You are required to move on as if that person never existed."

"That's-" Mae brought a hand to her mouth, "I'm so sorry."

"It's how it has been done for years. I expected it, and my children expected it. Yes, it does bring us pain, but there is nothing we can do. Dwelling on the loss of my husband, their father, will not bring him back. He will not be returning home tonight, or any other night and we have to come to realization with those terms." Ma' released a shaky breath, fighting back the urge to cry.

After a few moments of silence between the two, Ma' took in a deep breath. Once she knew that the tears were pushed back, and that she was not going to cry, she continued. "Typically a household has enough men under their roof where the young boys don't have to start working until the age of fifteen. Of course, we aren't your typical household. Unfortunately for me, I only had one son. After YeVanna was born, I was left barren. And because Brox is the only other male in our household, and my husband is no longer fit to work, he is requested to start immediately. Every family is required to have at least one working male at a time."

Mae's fingers tightened into fists, the frustration and irritation bottling up inside. "What happens if a family doesn't have a male in their household? What then?"

"The family disappears." Ma' sighed, "I wish that I could tell you more, but honestly... Your questions are questions that everyone has."

Tugging at her locks of hair, the roots threatening to tear from her scalp, Mae let out a shallow breath, "Who are these people?"

"They are our Elders. They are our order."


	12. (XII) The Luminous Island Part 5

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

I forgot to mention that I was going to be away on vacation for over a week. Thank you for your patience. Please enjoy this next chapter.

* * *

Chopper waved his hands fervently when he caught sight of his crew mates and captain. "Welcome back you guys!"

"Did you find anyone?" Franky stood beside the reindeer, his arms extended over his head and a super-pose being struck as he waited to greet them.

Robin raised her arm in the air, offering a mild wave and a warm smile, "I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long."

"No one, not even a tree." Nami sighed, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"It was bone dry out there! Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!" Brook laughed cheerily, tugging at the goggles around his afro.

Behind the three crew members, Luffy dragged his body over the sand, "Meat... Food... Meat..." He whined, holding his stomach as he came to a stop, "Where's the meat?!"

Grinning, Chopper climbed onto the edge of the Thousand Sunny and stood on the rail while holding a fish bigger than his body, "We caught a couple of fish while you were away! Franky made a fishing pole that catches a ton at once!"

"That's great!" Robin climbed onto the deck, adjusting the goggles on her eyes, "And there _is_ a lot."

Climbing behind Robin, Nami pinched her nose and stared at the hundreds of fish on the deck. Some were alive and flopping and some were well past dead. "Clean this mess up!" She shouted in disgust.

Chopper stumbled back, falling into a pile of smelly fish, "Sorry!" He exclaimed, slipping and sliding as he attempted to stand himself back up.

"Come on, it's food! Now where the cook? He can make us up something good with these babies!" Franky grinned, helping Chopper off of the floor.

"Fish!" Luffy stretched onto the deck, landing in the middle of two large fish. "Yum!" Without another word, he took one of the bright red fish into his mouth and bit down. The Straw Hat could care less whether or not they were cooked, as long as it was food and in his stomach.

Nami almost gagged at the sight, but turned her attention to Franky, "We ran into him a while back, but he went to look for the others."

"Maybe he fell into another sand pit!" Brook sighed with dismay, "That would be the third time!"

"What?!" Chopper stood up, "A sand pit!?"

"Yeah! It's a pit of sand that sucks you in! I almost died out there!" Brook said dramatically, holding a hand over his forehead, "But thanks to Robin, I was able to be pulled out."

"Oh no! Do you think that is what happened to the others?!" Chopper exclaimed, tugging at his hat, "What if they got sucked in!"

Robin took a seat on her lawn chair, "They will be fine." She assured the reindeer.

Nami waved a dismissing hand, "They can take care of themselves. For now, worry about cleaning this mess up! It stinks! Why didn't you put them in the fish tank?!"

Franky scratched his chin and Chopper rubbed the back of his head, "We didn't think of that at the time!" They said in unison.

* * *

"Stupid moss head, if he didn't get lost-" Sanji grumbled rants under his breath, standing himself up from the ground and proceeding to dust the dirt off of his pants. When the crew had run into each other, it was decided that he would be the one to look for Zoro, Usopp and Mae. It was obvious that there wasn't anything for them on the island and the sooner that they returned to the Thousand Sunny, the sooner that they could prepare to set out and find an island worth their time. An island not only worth their time, but an island with food and beautiful women.

At the thought of a beautiful woman, Sanji's mouth began to water and hearts took over his pupils, "Oh what beautiful women I've come across!" Holding his hands clasped in front of him, Sanji did a small twirl and danced around the images of women that appeared before him. After a few moments though, he forced the thoughts from his head, "But before that, I need to figure out where I am... And find the two morons and Mae." Focusing his attention on his surroundings, Sanji scanned the multiple pathways. If he wanted to see beautiful women and find his crew mates, he was going to have to figure out where he was and find a way out.

Sanji removed the goggles from his face and hung them around his neck, "I won't be needing these." He said under his breath, blinking his eyes rapidly, attempting to gain focus on the dim tunnels that surrounded him.

"Now where am I?" A voice spoke from one of the tunnels, a voice that was too familiar.

"Is that you moss head?!" Sanji shouted, looking down one of the tunnels. His eyes were still adjusting to the darkness, but the more he focused, the more he could make out the dark figure headed in his direction.

Zoro snorted, coming into view, "Did you get lost?"

"Shove off." Sani growled, holding a fist up in the air, "What are you doing down here and where are the others?"

"Usopp is sleeping and Mae is with him," Zoro explained, "I'm trying to find a way out."

Sanji barked a laugh, gesturing his hand in a stray direction, "You're trying to find a way out? You don't even know left from right or which way is north!"

"You're one to talk, you shitty cook. You're down here with us!" Zoro retorted back bitterly, his eyes shooting daggers in the cooks direction.

"Because I came looking for you!" Waving a dismissing hand, Sanji looked above them, "Where are we anyways?"

Zoro smirked, "Underground."

"Don't you think I know that?!" Sani snapped, turning on his heel to face him, "I meant, what are these tunnels?"

"They're tunnels." Zoro said simply, "They lead you in different directions."

Sanji pursed his lips tight. "Where do these tunnels lead to? There has to be a way out." He growled between clenched teeth, annoyed with his crew mate.

"That's what I'm looking for, a way out." Zoro said, looking down one of the many tunnels.

Sanji took in a deep breath, calming himself down, "Do you know how to get back to the others?"

Zoro scratched at his head, "Yeah. It's this way." He said, taking lead and moving down a tunnel that was similar to the one he came from.

"Wait, you didn't come from that tunnel!" Sanji exclaimed, pointing in the direction of another tunnel, "You came out of that one! Wouldn't we want to go that way?"

The swordsman did not say another word, redirecting himself down the tunnel that Sanji gestured to. Zoro decided that he would follow the tunnel straight through without taking a turn or going down a stray path. That is how he had come to be where he was now. Instead of taking multiple paths, Zoro followed the tunnel that lead out of the community and kept in the same direction without going down any connecting tunnels. Or at least, he didn't recall going down another tunnel or taking another turn.

Pausing, he scratched at the back of his head, "It's this way." He said, staring down the long tunnel.

"You don't seem so sure." Sanji mumbled bitterly, shoving his way past Zoro.

* * *

"Hey, Usopp." Mae whispered, poking his long nose, "It's time to wake up."

"Wha-" Usopp stretched his arms above his head, yawning, "What time is it?" He blinked through crusty eyes, attempting to clear his vision.

"I have no idea. All I know is that it is time to go." Mae stood herself up, fixing her tank top properly over her breasts to fully cover them. Her and Usopp weren't exactly clean, their clothes stained with dirt. And since they were about to be introduced to _honorable_ people, at least _honorable_ in their own standards, Mae did not want to stand before the elders looking like not only a prostitute, but a dirty prostitute.

Tossing the blanket aside, Usopp stood himself up and let out another yawn, "Where's Brox? Wasn't he gonna take us?"

"Something came up. It's a long story." She mumbled, looking at the floor. "Let's just hurry up. Ma' is taking time out of her day to escort us."

"I'm sure we could find it without an escort, but ok!" Usopp adjusted his overalls and grasped at the straps, "I'm ready!"

Ma' appeared at the door, "This is for your journey back home. Brox insisted."

Mae looked at the small sack in Ma's hands, "What is it?"

"A loaf of bread. And something else he shoved in there before he left." Tossing the bag towards Mae, the female catching it with ease, Ma' turned around and waved her hand, "Follow me."

Usopp grinned, "That was nice of him! I wish we could have said goodbye!"

"Me too..." Mae handed the bag to Usopp for safekeeping, tucking her hands into her pant pockets and following after the older woman.

It took less time than they had expected to reach the large gates that lead into a beautiful garden, two men standing on either side of the entrance.

"Name." One of the men spoke, his voice stern.

Ma' straightened herself up, "Colette."

"Your full name." The other man spoke, his eyes dangerous as they bore down at at Ma'.

"Colette Sahirah Brox."

Usopp held back a snicker, "Does that mean Brox' full name is Brox Brox?" He whispered in Mae's ear.

Swatting her hand behind her, "Be quiet." Mae whispered harshly, her lips tugging and fighting back a smile.

"Colette Sahirah Brox." The man tore his eyes from Ma' and he stared at the open space behind them. His right eye flashed and what appeared to be a censor scanned over the pupil.

"You aren't scheduled to meet with our superiors today." His eyes adjusted back to normal.

Mae took a subtle step back, Usopp's chest pressing against her, "Did you see his eye?" She whispered over her shoulder, her words only loud enough for him hear.

"Is he a cyborg?" Usopp mumbled, his eyes narrowing suspiciously, "Like Franky?"

"Maybe..." Straightening herself up, Mae went to take a step forward, but Ma' held a hand behind her and shook it.

"It's an important matter that must be dealt with today." Ma' said in a monotoned voice.

"You aren't scheduled to meet with our superiors today." The guard repeated, his voice almost robotic.

Mae observed the two guards that stood in their way. They both wore long robs that were a vivid blue and trimmed with green rope, fitting loose around their broad shoulders. The two men were nearly identical in height, standing a good three feet above them. Other than the height though, they were complete opposites. The one who had a censor scan over his pupil was dark skinned with a shaved head and a large scar along his right cheek. The other guard was as pale as the snow with a head full of brown hair and eyes as bright as the sun, almost glowing a soft yellow.

"I understand that." Ma' said carefully, "But. I. Have. An. Important. Matter. That. Must. Be. Dealt. With. Today." Her words came out so slow, that they were almost spelt out to the two men.

Silence.

"Do you think they understand?" Usopp murmured in Mae's ear, "Should we talk to them?"

Mae shook her head carefully, "Ma' doesn't want us to."

The dark skinned guard's eye flashed once more, his blue eye lighting up as the censor scanned over his pupil, "Colette Sahirah Brox. Mother of Brox Brox. Mother YeVanna Brox. Wife of deceased husband Aury Brox."

Usopp fought back a snicker, "Brox Brox."

"This is not about my son, my daughter or my husband." Ma' was growing frustrated, her fingers clenching and unclenching.

Mae resisted reaching out to touch the woman's hand in comfort. Aury Brox. That was the name that Ma' had not shared with Mae when she was told what had happened to her husband. Hearing the name made the situation more real to Mae, her heart aching at just knowing what this woman is going through.

"Three outsiders have been found alive." Ma' spoke with a loud voice, "Two of them are with me now."

Bright yellow eyes drew their attention to Mae and Usopp. "Processing." A censor scanned over the pale guard's eyes, "Two new members of the community."

"No." Ma' said firmly. "No. They are outsiders who need to speak to the elders."

Mae and Usopp shared an uneasy glance, but they did not speak.

"Processing."

"Processing."

Ma' let out a rough sigh, "This is ridiculous."

"Calm down or else we will have to escort you inside the premises and into prison." The bald guard warned.

"If that is what it takes to get inside, then maybe I should cause a scene." Ma' laughed sarcastically under her breath.

"What is going on out there?!" A voice came abruptly from a speaker, "Gn One and Gn Two; You were due to switch your stations with Gn Five and Gn Six ten minutes ago!"

"We have a problem at the gate." The bald guard spoke, "Colette Sahirah Brox would like to see the superiors, but she doesn't have an appointment."

"Well," The voice from the speaker came once more, "What does she want?"

"If you please," Ma' said taking a step towards the speaker, "I am Colette Sahirah Brox. I have unknown factors with me. They are outsiders who survived the fall from the sand pits. They need to be escorted back to the land above. I understand that the elders can assist them with this."

"Two unknown factors?" The voice spoke from the speaker, curiosity lingering in the tone, "Send them in."

"We cannot do that sir." The two guards spoke in unison.

"And why is that?" The man questioned, his voice thick with aggression.

"They do not have proper IDs to scan. It is a security risk."

"If they are unknown factors, of course they won't have proper IDs! Just send them in and switch your posts now!" The speaker bounced from the raging words that were spewed from it.

Silence.

"What are you waiting for Gn One and Gn Two! Send the two unknown factors in immediately! As for you, Colette Sahirah Brox, you are not permitted to enter the gates."

Ma' hesitated, but she did not argue with the man. Instead, she turned her back to the guards and faced Mae and Usopp with a kind smile. A smile that neither of them had seen on the woman since they had met her. Reaching out, Ma' touched both of their hands, "Take care." She whispered, "And if I see your friend, I will inform him where you are and lead him to you."

Usopp nodded his head, "Tell Brox I said bye."

"Thank you for everything." Mae smiled, holding the woman's hand in return.


	13. (XIII) The Luminous Island Part 6

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

"Try to smile." Ma' secured a brown rope around Brox, attempting to keep his tattered jeans from falling.

Buttoning up the last button on his thread-bare shirt, Ma' yanked Brox forward and brought him back to reality. The sudden movement caused him to lose his balance, his arms stretching out in front of him. While his arms were held out, Ma' wasted no time and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing tight.

"Ma', I'll be fine!" Brox assured her, returning the hug and combing his fingers through her hair. She looked worn out and jaded since last night and he wanted nothing more than to leave a wholehearted impression on her before he went off to work.

As seconds grew, Ma' pressed him back, but kept her hands firm on his shoulders, "Now listen to me. It is tough up there and I have seen what it does to men. It isn't kind and it won't be easy."

Shuffling his foot on the floor, "I know." Brox mumbled.

"Promise me that you won't do anything to get in trouble." Ma' pleaded, looking directly into her son's eyes.

"Yeah. Okay." He said, tearing his eyes away.

Ma' shook her head, grabbing his chin between her fingers and forcing him to look at her, "Promise me."

Brox let out a long sigh, "I promise."

* * *

Mae and Usopp followed after one of the guards who had been introduced as GN 16. He kept a steady pace as he led them through an extending hallway. The hall had an abundance of identical doors and between each doorway stood either a table with a decorated statue or it had a frame hanging high. Mae urged Usopp to walk faster by pressing against his back and pushing him forward. He shot her a reluctant look and in return, she poked her tongue out in a teasing manner.

The guard came to a stop when he reached the final door. Using a single hand, he opened it and revealed a relatively spacious room. Inside stood a man towering in height, at least two-hundred and thirteen centimeters or maybe even a little taller. He had a long milky hair that was braided over his right shoulder and a sun kissed complexion. His hand was elegantly raised and he stood behind an oak desk. Mae wondered if the man had kept this position while he waited for them.

"Please come in," His voice was as sweet as honey, "Don't be shy."

GN 16 took a step forward and bowed his head with respect, "These are the two who had fallen from the sandpits."

"Thank you GN 16." The man sat himself down behind his desk, leaning forward on his elbows.

Perching his chin into the palms of his hands, he let his eyes settle on Mae. She sucked in a breath as the man examined her. There was something peculiar him. Behind his rich green eyes there appeared to be unknown secrets and deceiving lies.

"Elder," She began, but was interrupted as he raised his hand.

"Please, call me Reih." He encouraged with a feign smile, his eyes inspecting her from the top of her scraggly brown hair to the bottom of her dirt covered shoes.

Mae reached for her pony tail and tugged at it, bringing it tighter against her head. Taking a step around GN 16 while wiping her hands against her pant leg, she reached out and offered to shake Reih's hand. When he did not return the gesture, she slowly brought her hand back and to her side.

"We didn't think that we'd get out of there! Those tunnels are endless!" Usopp exclaimed breaking the silence.

"The tunnels aren't endless, but they are continuous." Reih said, pushing aside paperwork that was scattered over his desk while tucking a few pieces into a drawer. "They are rather impressive though, aren't they?" Reih questioned, but continued before either of them could speak, "My ancestors had put a lot of work into building the civilization that you had encountered. It isn't pretty, but it keeps the people down here."

Mae noticed the bottom of a wanted posted as the man continued to shuffle papers around, but she did not mention it. Instead, she raised her eyes to his, "What do you mean by it keeps the people down here?"

Reih looked between the two and then at GN 16 who stood only centimeters from behind them. After giving a brief nod, he drew his attention to a single piece of paper on his desk. "I understand that there is one more of you, is that correct?" He questioned, disregarding her own question.

"Yeah. We have another friend who disappeared," Mae said, "So if he shows up, we'd appreciate it if you could show him how to get back to the surface as well."

"Of course." Reih stood up from behind his desk, brushing his fingers along the wooden surface as he rounded it. Leaning against the side of his desk, he crossed his arms and looked down at either of them, "While we wait for your friend to arrive, how about a tour?"

"We really should get moving. Zoro should be able to find his way back to the ship once he finds his way to you." Mae said, noticing a glint in Reih's eyes when she mentioned her crew mates name.

Usopp laughed, "I don't know about that. He doesn't have any sense in direction! He thinks north is up!"

"Then it is settled. While we wait, I can give you a tour of the east court." Reih straightened himself up and gestured to the ceiling, "It is on the surface after all."

Furrowing her brows and turning her eyes to the ceiling, "You mean... There's more than just sand up there?" She asked.

"Why of course." His voice softened.

Usopp scratched at the back of his head, "What's up there exactly?"

"Wait," Mae paused, "When we were up there, we traveled half of the island and we did not find a single bit of life. How could there be anything up there?"

Reih leaned forward, his perfectly defined face almost pressed up against her own. Mae couldn't help but to notice the sweet smell of flowers and vanilla that lingered from him. As she took in a breath, she watched him raise a finger and press it to her lips, "I'll show you."

Surprised, Mae jerked her head back while slapping his hand away. When she processed what she had done and came to realize it, her mouth fell open. Before she could speak or apologize though, Reih let a tightened smirk cross his lips and he took a step back, raising his hand to silence her.

"Alright then. Shall we proceed?" Reih asked as he extended his arm out, disregarding what had just happened.

Not bothering to wait for the two pirates, Reih strolled across the chamber to an open entryway. When he reached the door, he stepped out of the way and waited patiently for Mae and Usopp to follow. Once they caught up to him, he allowed them to enter into the room first while holding a hand up to GN 16 and giving a signal.

Usopp pointed at a cylinder tube that stuck out from the ground, "That is awesome! Is that how we get back to the surface?! Why don't you have more of these for the others for easier access?"

"It isn't necessary," Reih stated simply. "This elevator will take us up and into the east court's tower. From there, we will head outside and I will give you the tour." He explained as he adjusted his robe. Rather than having it tied properly around his entire body, Reih kept it hanging from his waist, a white shirt clinging to his broad and muscular chest. Mae had to admit, he was rather handsome. Even the scar that drug over his right eye was appealing and left her curious.

"Also, before I forget," Reih began, "We are required to put these on as a precaution."

Before Mae and Usopp could process what was happening, GN 16 put a collar around each of their necks in a swift motion. Mae reached up to touch and tug at the collar, "Why would you just put something on us without asking!" She bit out with irritation.

"Wha- What is this?!" Usopp panicked, yanking at the collar with wide eyes.

"The elevator can cause harmful effects. Even though you had survived the trip down, I want to make sure that you are well alive when we surface. Once we reach the top, we can remove them." Reih advised, slipping passed the two pirates and pressing a button that was attached the the pipe. Holding a collar to his own neck, Reih clasped it shut, "I see that you already have eyewear, so please remember to put it on when we reach the surface."

"What are these made of?" Usopp asked, still pulling at his collar.

Reih didn't answer.

"It's extremely uncomfortable!" He continued, tugging at the collar with more force.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. I assure you that once we reach the surface, they will be removed. It is protocol. Everyone who uses the elevators must wear one until we break through the sand." Reih was vague with his response, and did not bother to explain what the collar was made of or how it actually helped them.

Usopp drew his attention to the collar around Mae's neck. He fought at the memories that lingered in the back of his mind. There was something about the neck piece that tugged at him, but he couldn't quite recall where he had seen it before. Shaking his head, he decided to push his thoughts aside.

"You still haven't explained why it is necessary to wear these. Telling us that it is a precaution doesn't sum it up." Mae said, persisting to know more about the device.

GN 16 stepped in front of Mae and Usopp, disrupting their conversation, "It's time." He announced.

"Very well. After you two." Reih insisted, ushering the two pirates into the elevator before he took a spot next to them.

Once GN 16 moved into the elevator with them, it began to hum. In one swift motion, it broke through the sand and brought them into a room that was similar to the one that they had just been in. Usopp took a hold of his knees for support as vomit threatened. The ride was unpleasant to say the least and almost caused the two to fall on their backsides from the sudden force.

Kneeling down beside Usopp, Mae held a hand to his back and fought back a laugh, "You don't look so good."

Shaking his head, Usopp jumped up and fixed himself up right, "That was some ride! Nothing I can't handle!"

Reih took the first step out of the elevator, his back flexing as he stretched his shoulders. Reaching into his robe, he retrieved a small case with two pockets and twisted it open. Revealing a pair of contacts and removing them with two fingers, he wasted no time and slipped the into his eyes.

Usopp blinked a couple of times, "What are-"

"They are for protection of course." Reih said. "Don't forget to put on your goggles."

"Right!" Usopp played with his goggles in order to adjust them before bringing them over his eyes.

Mae reached a hand to her neck, grabbing at the handmade goggles that Franky had created. Yanking them up and over the collar, she fixed them across her face before reaching for the collar that was around her throat, "When can we remove the collars?"

Reih refused to acknowledge her question and instead moved across the room, "Once we reach the east court, I would appreciate it if you did not socialize with the workers."

"How will we be able to tell if they are workers?" Mae asked.

Reih barked out a loud laugh, breaking from his more refined behavior, "Avoid the ones that look like absolute trash."

As the words fell from his lips, Mae felt her stomach tense and her body grow hot with anger. Clenching her fingers into a tight fist, she resisted the urge to throw a solid punch to the man's face or freeze his tongue right out of his mouth. Swallowing down her irritation, she pursed her lips and kept herself quiet.

* * *

Establishments built in all types of formations and sizes surrounded them. The buildings shimmered with beauty and they ravished against the sands glow, the light catching them at just the right angel to create a work of art. They appeared to be made out of the same type of crystal as the tower and yet they had their own unique touch. Unlike the grotesque shacks that were stacked up beneath the sand, these buildings were spread apart, leaving room for wide roads to walk amongst and for carts to travel along.

Mae watched as people walked along the beautifully paved roads without a care in the world. They wore clothes that were made up of fine linen and they had shoes that sparkled with each step. Their clothes were not only well-kept, but the men were clean, shaven and had strong jawlines. The women also had a glow about them with their plump cheeks that were decorated with makeup. The children even wore clothes that had to be worth more than Mae's entire wardrobe. None of the people looked starved and they were in fit shape. It was unlike what she had seen down below.

Inclining her head back, Mae gazed at the towering buildings while she spun in a slow circle. The sight caused her stomach to turn. The questions that she had for Ma' were beginning to be answered. Usopp stepped beside Mae, holding a hand to his forehead as he stared up in awe, "This place is amazing! The buildings are so awesome! How come we can't see them from the sea?! They are so bright and visible!"

Reih held his head high, "This is only a percentage of what we have to offer in our Kingdom. There is much more to see." His voice was full of pride.

"There's more?!" Usopp's jaw dropped to the floor, "How didn't we see this before?!"

"By tricks of heat. The center of this island causes a heat wave across the island. The heat also creates a mirage around our entire Kingdom. It keeps it hidden and it would be quite difficult to find it. Of course, it isn't impossible if you search hard enough. You've probably noticed the heat as you came closer. The closer you are to it, the warmer it gets. It can be a bother at times, but we have special rings that are made to keep our temperatures lowered."

"What causes the heat?" Mae asked, lifting her shirt up and down in order to create a breath of air on her skin.

"The island is on top of a massive heat source. A heat source that goes passed the tunnels themselves." Reih explained, looking down at Mae.

Usopp ran a hand along his forehead, "It's really hot! Do you think I can get a ring to cool off with?"

"You can purchase one at the West Court." Reih informed him.

Usopp frowned. "Purchase?" Scratching at the back of his neck nervously, he gave a chuckle, "We don't have any Mua."

Reih paused. "Mua?" He tasted the word on his tongue before nodding, "Ah yes. That isn't a problem. We don't use Mua up here. We use berries. Mua is a form of payment that we give to our slaves." Holding a hand out, he waved towards a group of men who were being led through the streets by what appeared to be guards similar to GN 16.

Mae stopped in her tracks. The word slave echoed in her head. It hadn't occurred to her that the people beneath the sand were slaves and yet it made perfect sense. Mae insisted on asking more questions. "Do the slaves know what is up here?"

"Some of them do, and some of them don't. The ones who know are required to keep it to themselves. We don't want a revolt on our hands or a scrutiny." Reih said.

"What happens if they tell their family or anyone else who isn't a worker?" Usopp asked.

"Then they are requested a formal meeting with one of the elders." Reih was being vague again.

Usopp slammed a fist into the palm of his hand, "I see! You invite them in so that you can explain to them that it needs to be kept a secret!"

"Not exactly." Reih brushed his fingers over his braided hair, looking between the two.

"Then you invite them up to join you?!" Usopp decided, holding his finger up.

"You kill them. Don't you?" Mae's said in a low voice.

Reih looked down at her and without hesitation, he spoke a soft "Yes."

Guards began to hollar out, causing the group to break their attention from the conversation. Turning in a circle, Mae attempted to find where the commotion was coming from. Scanning the buildings and the multiple roadways, it did not take long for her to catch sight of a group of guards. They were rotating around a single worker, cackling and poking fun at the younger male all while shoving him around. The scene caused Mae to boil with rage, her hands tightening into fists. It was one thing to treat these people like worthless scraps, but to push them around like they were absolutely trash was the breaking point. When she took a step around a few passing citizens to get a better view, she caught sight of who the men were bullying.

It was Brox.


	14. (XIV) The Luminous Island Part 7

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

Brox held his arms up in defense as he was slewed from one spot to the next. His cheeks flushed with anger as never ending insults were jeered at him. His mother's word repeated in his head, _"Promise me that you won't do anything to get in trouble."_ , reminding him not to do something foolish. Blood began to trickle down his jaw as one of the guards clipped his face with a sudden uppercut. Refusing to give these men satisfaction though, Brox remained composed with his head hung low. As he was pushed into another guard, the man grabbed a hold of his arms and held them open. In an instant, a fist came crushing into Brox, his eyes widening and blood spattering as he coughed.

"That's enough!"

The guards didn't falter at the sudden outburst. Instead, they remained focused on the younger boy, continuing to insult and push him around. As one of the men caught Brox by the wrist, he jerked him from the ground and raised him into the air. A silent scream escaped him as his shoulder tore from the sudden movement, but he didn't move and hung limp in the man's hold.

"I said that's enough!"

Brox fought to open his eyes, his cheeks swollen from the multiple blows he received. Behind his plump cheeks, he caught sight of a small person standing behind the guards. He could barely make out the figure, but after two slow blinks, he was able to catch sight of a familiar face.

It was Mae.

Relief washed over Brox and then it was replaced with fear. He shook his head in a limp side to side motion and whispered a soft, "I'm okay."

"To hell with that," Mae bit out, "Look at you!"

"Let him go!" Usopp exclaimed, standing along side Mae. He pointed his Kuro Kabuto at the guard who had a tight hold on Brox. From a distance the guards appeared to be average height, but these men ended up being a lot taller once they got closer, ranging from two hundred and seventy-four centimeters to three-hundred and four.

"Who are you to tell us what to do, _girl_?" One of the men spat, his fingers clasping over the hilt of his sword.

"You best watch where you aim that toy." Another one bit out, reaching for the Kuro Kabuto.

Usopp took a step back and moved arms length from the guard, "I'm the best sharp shooter around! And the Captain of my own pirate crew!" Usopp announced, "So you better let him go before I sick my crew on you or take an eye out!"

"For a captain, you sure are scrawny." The guards laughed out, sharing amused glances with each other.

"Why don't you beat it? Go bother someone else." One snarled out, waving his hand in dismissal.

The guard who had a hold on Brox, shook him from side to side like a rag doll. "New ones like him need to learn who's in charge."

"I think he's learned." Mae's voice was dangerously low.

"Maybe, but it looks like you haven't learned." Brox yelped as the guard threw him, his body crashing into nearby barrels.

Usopp tensed as the men surrounded them, his hold on the sling shot tightening. As his arms began to shake, he looked between the group of guards and tried to plan out his attack. While he examined his surroundings, one of the guards swung a fist in his direction. Before the man could land a solid hit on him though, Usopp ducked out of the way and instead Mae was struck, her body to flying backwards.

"Fuck me!" Mae shouted as she was smashed into the ground a few feet away. "Usopp what the hell!"

Usopp stood up, scratching at the back of his head with a nervous grin, "Sorry!"

Climbing out of rubble, she scowled, "I'll get you back for that!"

"Maybe less talking between you two and more fighting." Before Usopp could turn around, a sword was thrusted in his direction. Just as it came close to cutting him down, the man stumbled to the side from a sudden force.

"Leave them alone!" Brox shouted, standing in front of Usopp. With difficulty, he held his arms out in order to protect his friend.

"Brox, stay out of this!" Mae demanded.

Brox turned his head to face her, a smile pushing against his inflated cheeks. At the sight, Mae felt her stomach drop. Suddenly, she caught sight of a guard in the background, raising his sword and aiming it towards the young boy. With wide eyes, she pushed herself forward and used what strength she had in her legs to maneuver herself in front of him. When she attempted to use her powers, she felt her body lurch. The feeling of emptiness washed over, leaving her weak.

As the sword thrusted downward, a solid shield of crystal formed over Mae and Reih appeared next to her. "What did I tell you about our workers?" he tsked, his voice hauntingly smooth.

GN 16 moved beside Mae and took a hold of her wrist, yanking her up from the ground. In his other hand, he kept a firm hold on Usopp. With weak attempts, the two tried to pry their wrists free from the man, but they found that they lacked the strength.

"Don't bother, it won't work." Reih dismissed, "That collar of yours has taken away most of your strength and the power that you once had."

"What do you mean? What did you do to me!" Mae yanked at the collar with her free hand, trying to remove it from her throat.

"It's a collar that was provided to us by the Celestial Dragons. It's a new and improved collar that we happened to adjust." Reih explained, touching the collar around his own neck and unclasping it with ease.

"That's why they looked familiar!" Usopp smacked his free hand against his forehead, "I should have known!"

"Unlike the original bomb collars, these have a special touch to them. Where the originals require a chain to set off the explosive, these have a built in censor. Along the Kingdom's boarders are detonators and they activate if someone wearing the collar crosses those boarders. Also, it lowers your strength and dismisses your devil fruit powers without the user becoming aware until it is too late." Reih raised a hand to the set of guards, "Please be on your way. Next time try to keep your playtime behind scenes."

"Then why weren't you effected?!" Mae bit out, continuing to yank against GN 16's hold.

"Mine was a fake of course." Reih leaned forward and brought his face near hers, "That wouldn't be very clever of me not to wear one, hm?"

She spat in his face, "You'll regret this."

Wiping the spit from his face, Reih smirked while licking his fingers and tasting the saliva. "No, I won't."

Usopp gagged, "That's gross!"

"What are they going to do with Brox?" Mae asked suddenly, watching the group of guards disappear around a corner.

"Knock a few more punches in before sending him off to work I suppose." Reih said with little care in his voice.

"And what are you planning to do with us?!" Usopp shouted, shoving his finger in the man's face.

Reaching into his robe, Reih took out a single piece of paper and held it up, "Collect your bounty of course."

"Sucks for you, I don't have a bounty." Mae said with a cheeky grin, "So you can keep him and let me go."

"What?!" Usopp exclaimed, staring at his crew mate with disbelief.

"On the contrary. I can't let either of you go. We still have a few more bounties to collect and I'm sure that your crew will start to leak in one at a time when they realize that two of their crew members are missing." Reih said, shoving the wanted posted back into his robe. "GN 16, take them to the prison and make sure that no one disturbs them." he demanded, "I have some work to do if I am going to find our other guest."

* * *

"Will you hurry up?" Sanji yawned, stretching his arms up and then resting them behind his head casually.

Zoro shot him a glare, "Why don't you do something useful?"

"I already did mosshead, I made sure that you didn't get us lost!" He bit out, returning the glare.

"What good did that do? We're still in the tunnels." Zoro snorted, returning his attention to the ceiling. Holding a hand to the hilt of his sword, he narrowed his eyes and inspected the sand above. He couldn't recall what Ma' had told him about breaking through the ceiling, but he did remember that she wasn't too thrilled about the idea. With a shrug of his shoulder, Zoro drew his sword out with ease, what harm could it do?

"What's your plan?" Sanji asked, watching the swordsman skeptically.

Zoro concentrated on the ceiling, "Cut through it."

* * *

Beads of sweat trickled down Mae's neck, the cell that her and Usopp were led into imprisoned a warmth that was almost too much to bare. While Usopp found a spot on the floor, fiddling with a few pebbles, Mae hung herself along the bars of the cell. Her face was pressed desperately against them, the collar around her neck uncomfortable and tight.

"Don't worry! Luffy will find us eventually! We'll be out of here in no time!" Usopp spoke up, flicking a few pebbles outside of the cell.

Mae let out a sigh and turned her back against the bars, sliding down them. "I know. I'm not worried about that." She dug her fingers into the granite floors, "I'm worried about Brox and YeVanna and Ma' and-" A low growl escaped her, "Everyone."

Wiping his wrist across the sweat that collected on his forehead, Usopp stood up from the floor and walked over to Mae. Taking a seat next to her, he propped his arms behind his head, "Knowing Luffy, he'll step in and do something about this once he finds out."

Mae nodded her head, "You're right. I don't know your captain like you do, but from what I've heard... I don't have any doubts."

"Our captain." Usopp corrected her, holding up a finger.

"Huh?" Mae raised her eyes to his, "Oh-"

"Oh is right! He's your captain too! You're one of us now!" Usopp grinned.

"Well until then, what do we do?" Mae asked, banging her head against the bars.

"Come up with an escape plan!" Usopp jumped to his feet and reached for his bag. Pausing, he looked down at his waist and almost fell over, "I forgot that they took our stuff!"

Mae laughed, "Yeah. They sort of did."

"Too bad we didn't pick a fight with the guards after we bought a couple of those fancy temperature rings." Usopp sighed, falling back to the floor.

Mae wiped the sweat from her hands, "That would've been handy, huh?" Gripping at the material along her thigh, She used one quick motion and attempted to tear her pants. When her body weakened at the sudden action, she let out a frustrated growl, "I hate this collar! I can't even tear my pants and make them into shorts!"

Usopp held a hand to his chin, looking around the cell. Perking up, he suddenly climbed onto his hands and knees, crawling to the center of the room. Picking up an object, he shuffled back over to Mae and held out a sharp rock, "How about this?"

Grinning, she snatched the rock from him, "It's perfect." Standing herself up, Mae focused on a small hole in her pants, digging the rock into the opening. Shaving and cutting against the material, it did not take long to create a large slit. Without trouble, Mae was able to rip the remaining bit of material with her hands. Once she removed the first pant leg, she moved to her other and began to cut at it. It did not take her long to finish. Tossing the scraps to the side of the cell, Mae turned around in a small circle, "Is it too short?" she asked, looking behind her as she spun, "It feels short."

Usopp's eyes widened and he looked away, "Nope!"

"You're lying! Is it that bad?" Mae laughed, reaching back. When she felt a handful of her cheeks, she blushed, "Definitely too short!"

Suddenly, Mae and Usopp faltered in their positions and looked at each other as the ground beneath them began to shift. Without a second thought, the two of them dove from the center of the cell and to the sides, pressing their backs against the walls. A Millisecond later the ground split in half and a rather huge hole appeared and took up most of the floor. Usopp went bug-eyed and extended his arms across the wall, "What was that?!"

Suddenly Zoro's voice echoed off of the walls, "Usopp, is that you?"


	15. (XV) The Luminous Island Part 8

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

Thank you for the messages that I have received. I enjoy reading your feedback / reviews and or messages in general. Also, thank you for your patience with how long it has taken me to get these chapters out.

* * *

Zoro and Sanji stood at one end of the prison while Mae and Usopp stood at the other, a gaping hole between them. There was little foot room with how much of the flooring Zoro had cut, but Mae still managed to kick stray debris at the two, "You could have killed us!"

"What were you thinking?!" Usopp pitched in, motioning towards the massive hole in the floor.

Reaching down, Mae picked up a small rock and threw it at Zoro's head. His eyebrow twitched with irritation, but before he could say anything, Sanji shoved him aside, "What a sight!" He swooned with hearts in his eyes, "This look suits you!"

"I prefer my clothing to be more modest." She said, her arms reaching around her stomach.

"It doesn't look like it." Zoro snorted to himself.

Scowling, Mae reached down for another rock, "What was that?"

"Come on guys, let's focus on getting out of here!" Usopp encouraged, looking outside of the cell. There wasn't any sign of life, but with the commotion that they had been causing, he was expecting a guard to come around the corner any minute.

Sanji examined the prison that they were in, his eyes scanning the surroundings curiously. Suddenly, he caught sight of something that was buried underneath a small pile of rocks. Scaling the side of the cell, he knelt down and reached for material that stuck out from the pile. In an instant, he stood up and with one hand holding tight to pieces of Mae's pants, he pointed an accusing finger at Usopp with the other, "What have you two been doing?!"

Looking at the material, Usopp instantly raised his hands out in defense, "Nothing!" He exclaimed, shaking his head.

Mae threw the rock she had across the cell, but this time she aimed it at Sanji's head, "Nothing went on! I cut my pants because of the heat!"

"Would you quit throwing rocks at us!" Zoro snarled at Mae, his hand reaching for the hilt of his sword out of habit.

"When you two quit doing and saying stupid things, then maybe I will!"

Sanji reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a cigarette. Placing it between his lips, he turned his eyes to Usopp, "Where are we anyway?"

Scratching at his chin, "I think the guard said in the center court's prison?" Usopp replied.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Zoro drew out his sword, "I can cut these bars open."

Mae cleared her throat, "You sort of broke the door when you cut through the floor, but you could try cutting these collars off." She said, half jokingly.

"How did you let that happen?" Zoro scoffed, eyeing the collars around their necks while sheathing his sword.

"By being dumbasses." Mae wasn't going to be shy about their stupidity.

Jerking his eyes from Mae's collar to Usopp's, Sanji's mouth flew open, "Are you sure nothing went on!?"

"I'm positive." Mae insisted between clenched teeth, restraining herself from throwing another rock. "We're dealing with people who have connections with the Celestial Dragons." she clarified.

Sanji wasted no time and with ease, lunged across the hole. Moving to her side, he began to inspect the device, "Then it's a bomb collar." He noted, circling around her.

Turning around slowly as he circled her, Mae kept herself covered with her hands, "Unfortunately."

Zoro followed after Sanji and sprung across the hole, landing next to the group. "I can cut it." He decided with confidence.

Usopp stepped out of the cell, his hands clasping around his neck, "Maybe we should see if there's another way to remove them! Are you sure you want Zoro to cut the collar?! What if he chops your head clean off?! Or what if he activates it?!"

Sanji shoved a finger into Zoro's chest, "If you cut this beautiful woman's head off, it will be yours!"

"If you think you can do a better job, then why don't you try kicking it off?" He bit back, "I'd like to see you try, you half-assed cook!"

"My leg can cut through more than those knives of yours, moss head!" Sanji shouted, a twitch beginning to develope in his right eye.

Climbing out of the cell, Mae took a spot next to Usopp and watched as the two continued to bicker back and forth. "Do they always argue like this?" She asked, combing her fingers through the knots in her hair.

"You know, you won't be able to get those collars off by a sword or a foot." A voice spoke up from another cell. "Those collars are impossible to take off unless you can access the central switches which are located inside of Ze've's control box."

Mae tensed at the sudden words. Squinting her eyes suspiciously, she glanced over her shoulder, "Who's there?"

Every muscle in Usopp's body tightened, "Who are you?!"

"Just a ghost in the shadows." The voice replied solemnly.

Usopp went bug-eyed, his hands grabbing at either side of his face, "A ghost?!"

"A ghost?" Mae murmured, eyebrows pinching together. Tight-lipped, she moved from Usopp's side and rounded the prison corners. Standing in front of what appeared to be an empty prison cell, she took a look around. The only thing that was visible were carved drawings from years of graffiti.

"We've dealt with ghosts before, it isn't anything new." Sanji said nonchalantly, appearing behind Mae.

The room appeared to be empty, but the voice had to come from somewhere. Drawing her eyes to the ceiling above, a low gasp escaped Mae, "Oh."

Sanji followed her gaze, frowning at the sight, "What are you doing up there?"

"Enjoying the view." A smirk crossed over the man's lips, his eyes lustfully staring down Mae's top.

With disgust, she covered herself and spat in his direction, "Pervert!"

"You sure spit a lot." Usopp noted under his breath, moving along side Mae.

"I've been up here for a while," The man sighed, "I can't help but admire a half naked chick."

Sanji grunted, the tendons in his neck bulging at the man's words, "You need to have more respect for women!"

"You're one to talk."

Sanji turned around to confront Zoro, his nails pinching into the palms of his hands, "What was that?!"

"You heard me!"

Mae's shoulders dropped and a sigh escaped her. Pushing the two apart, she leaned her head back and stared up at the man. He was shackled to the ceiling. The only part of his body that was visible was his head, the rest was hidden behind a series of chains.

"Who are you?!" Usopp asked, keeping a good distance from the man.

"No one important." He responded, his eyes hungrily looking over Mae's body.

Sanji stepped forward, "You must be pretty important if they have you locked up in so many chains."

"What's your name?" Mae asked, maintaining herself and ignoring the thirsty eyes that inspected every inch of her body.

"Jael, call me Jael." His lips parted, showing perfect white teeth between a charming grin, "I'm no one special. I just messed with the wrong people."

"You must have done something pretty bad to be chained up on the ceiling." Mae said, pressing for more answers.

Jael blew a strand of brown hair out of his face, "I suppose if you count an attempt of murder as something pretty bad, then yes I guess I did do something pretty bad."

Nerves scratched at Usopp's stomach, "Murder?!" His words echoed off of the prison walls.

Mae chewed on her lower lip, eyeing Jael with a mixture of distrust and disgust, "Who-"

The man's eyes focused on Mae, this time catching her in a gaze rather than ogling at her body, "Emiliee."

"A woman? You attempted murdered an innocent woman?" Anger flooded Sanji's veins and a growl rolled up from his throat.

A hoarse bark of laughter escaped Jael, "Innocent?! That woman killed my entire family in front of me! She's anything but innocent."

"Why would she do that? Why would anyone kill an entire family off without a reason?"

Jael kept his eyes steady, "Treason." He answered Mae, his words flowing from his lips without a second of thought.

"Should we be talking to him!? Why don't we just get out of here!?" Usopp urged, gesturing towards the exit.

"I agree." Zoro said, "He isn't our problem."

"No. He is our problem. Didn't you hear him a second ago? He knows how to get these collars off." Mae couldn't leave this man hanging from the ceiling. Whether or not he attempted to murder someone, he seemed to be the only one who knew how to get the collars off without causing an explosion or accidentally cutting someone's head off.

"Even if he knew how, why would he help us?" Sanji countered.

Mae's lips perched up to speak, but it took her a few moments before she could form any words. "He is chained to a ceiling, how could he not need our help?" she reckoned.

"The chicks right. I wouldn't mind getting down from here." Jael nodded, biting at the inside of his cheek.

"See. He wants down, I want this collar off. I'm sure we can work something out. " Mae concluded.

"And what if he tries to kill us?!" Usopp addressed loudly, "What if he has some kind of hidden power that he's keeping from us and he's-"

"I'm not going to kill you. Besides, I haven't had a meal in days. I don't have the strength to even try." Jael assured him.

Sanji pocketed his hands, "Before we do anything," He began with a serious expression, "I want to know what treason your family committed."

Jael's stomach twisted with anxiety. He straightened his neck out and took in a slow, painful breath. In his frenzied thoughts, he couldn't help but watch as images of his family danced in the back of his mind. He didn't think that he could loathe Emiliee anymore than he did now, not after the constant hate that washed over him, but the more he thought about the incident, the more his hate grew.

His pulse thrummed painfully against his temples, "My family and I used to work for Emiliee, who is an elder." He began, his voice low, "I was a guard for her while my family had their own assignments. Let me break it down to you. There are three groups of people who reside on this island. The elders who rule over NuKemet, the citizens of NuKemet's kingdom and the slaves in the tunnels below us. While the elders and citizens enjoy the privilege of the world around them, the slaves are forced to live in poverty. The men are required to work and the women along with the children are required to stay beneath the sand and live a life of lies."

Jael paused, and three heart beats later he let his eyes fall, "While the women are only around for breading purposes, the men are required to construct new buildings and repair the old as well as do other minuscule jobs. They lose their sight because of the illuminating light that comes from the island's surface. I'm sure you've noticed how bright it is. While the citizens have special eyewear for protection, the slaves or what they call, workers, receive one pair of contacts that barely fight out the light. In fact, they are mere windows without shade when it comes down to it. Being in such bright conditions every day causes them to lose their sight eventually."

Adrenaline and anger dug at Jael's emotions, "My family watched as these men worked for false money. Worked and worked until they couldn't work anymore. Once they were deemed useless, they were tossed aside and the next generation was brought in. It was and still is a rinse and repeat cycle when it comes down to it. They are born slaves and they die slaves. My sister was the first one to decide that she had to do something about it. Every day she would come up with a way to free them. Ideas on how they could live in NuKemet peacefully or how she could send them away on a ship to another island. Obviously they were foolish ideas, but ideas that seemed to grow more real to the rest of my family. Even me. One day she was over heard by a guard and she was confronted."

Jael's face softened, "Instead of brushing off the accusations, my sister bravely stood up for the slaves and voiced her ideas. Not once did she deny wanting to help them. The plans were then exposed to Emiliee, who as mentioned, is one of the elders ruling over NuKemet's Kingdom. When that happened, my entire family was called into a meeting. Emiliee addressed the situation to my sister and of course, she continued to stand her ground and explain her reasoning. Emiliee then asked if my family felt the same way. While I stood back in silence, in fear, the rest of my family took a stand beside my sister." A breath escaped Jael's nose, "And then it was over." Swallowing, his lips pursed, "In one sudden motion, my family was beheaded in front of me."

"You sound like a coward." Zoro muttered under his breath, already growing impatient.

Jael sneered at Zoro before continuing, "I was spared because I was too afraid to stand up to the elder and I denied any knowledge of the situation. And after months of dwelling and letting the anger and guilt grow inside of me, I took the advantage of being one of Emiliee's guards and attempted to beheaded her while she slept."

Mae's heart ached for the man's circumstance. Nanny was right, any tale could yank at her emotions and leave her crestfallen. That was something that she had to work on. Reaching for the back of her neck, she massaged at a knot, "I don't understand why you have to be chained to the ceiling though, is there a specific reason for that?" She asked.

"Well," Jael paused with a dramatic sigh, "No. Not really."

The group fell over at his response.

"Do you have to be so dramatic?!" Usopp exclaimed and then rose his hands up while pushing out his lower lip, "What if we just have him tell us where the switch is and we leave him here?"

Jael drew his mouth into a thin line, "Because I'm not going to just tell you. I'd like to get down from this mess."

"I say we cut him down and if he tries anything, we can just tie him back up." Mae decided.

"I'll cut him where he stands if he tries anything." Zoro assured her, his tone threatening.

"Okay. Sure. Whatever. Can you let me down now? I have an itch that's been bothering me for weeks."

"One last question," Sanji took a step forward, "why hasn't there been a revolt? Why haven't the slaves fought back?"

"Because most of them don't know," Jael answered, "they have no idea what goes on. And the men who work on the surface are ordered to keep quiet about it or else their families are taken care of." If his hands were free, he would have raised his fingers in air quotes at his last words.

"Now, can you cut me down?" He groaned, shifting uncomfortably in the chains.

While Usopp made sure that he was at a distance behind the rest, Mae and Sanji took a single step back and cleared space for Zoro, whose sword was already drawn. Before a breath could be taken, he shifted in his stance and in seconds the door was cut down and sliced through as if it were a stick of butter. And then without hesitation, he struck his sword in a single motion and tore through the chains that bound Jael tight.

Jael's body fell from the ceiling and onto the floor with a loud thud. Laying lifeless, he kept still for a minute before stretching his arms out. Pressing the palms of his hands into the ground, he maneuvered himself into a seated position with a grunt, "You couldn't have caught me? Or at least given me a warning?" He muttered, "Hey, even the chicks breasts would have been more comfortable to land on."

Sanji raised a fist in the air, "Watch what you say!"

Mae poked at her right breast, looking over her shoulder at Usopp, "I don't even think my boobs would be comfortable to fall on." She mouthed to him, "Are they even that big?"

Usopp's eyes stared down at Mae's chest before he adverted them, "Uh- They're fine!" He fumbled, scratching at the back of his neck.

"They're perfect! I'd fall on them every day if I could!" Sanji assured Mae, twirling around her with his hands clasped together.

"Perfect?" Jael scoffed, "They are kind of small if you ask me."

"No one asked you." Mae muttered, covering her breasts with her arms.

He flashed a captivating smile, "All right, All right. I suppose I better get going before they notice that I'm not up there." He decided, gesturing towards the ceiling. "I have some work to do on my end if I am going to escape this island."

"You aren't going anywhere until you help remove their collars." Sanji said, taking a single step in front of Jael.

Usopp stuck his arms out disbelievingly, "And what kind of person are you?! Your family died trying to save the slaves! Don't you want to at least try to finish what they started?!"

"Like I said, you're a coward." Zoro added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jael pressed his lips together like he'd just bitten a lemon and pulled his hands back defensively, "What can I do? I'm one person. Sure, I have regrets and sure, I have hate towards certain people, but I'm not going to get myself killed over it."

"One person can always make a difference." Mae took a step around her crew mates, finding a spot in front of Jael and kneeling down on one knee, "You can take this chance to take a stand against the elders. Don't you have any fight in you? Don't you still believe in your sisters ideas? Your family may no longer be here, but you can continue what they started and give these people a new beginning."

"No one will listen to me. Sure, some may care about it," Jael looked away, "but no one is going to take a stand with me. They'll become cowards just like I had."

"That's where you're wrong," Mae smiled, resting her hand on his shoulder, "I'm going to take a stand with you because I'm not a coward and I believe in what your sister started."

Jael slid his eyes towards the ceiling. He hesitated with his words, uncomfortable with the sudden decision that he had to make. When he had been locked up, he had expected to be killed within a few weeks. And when he was given the chance to be free moments ago, he expected to be long gone from NuKemet within a few hours. Dipping his head, he stared at the ground beneath them, his mouth opening and closing.

Finally, after a calculated breath, he raised his head and let his soft green eyes catch her own in a firm gaze, "First, we're going to need to get those collars off."


	16. (XVI) The Luminous Island Part 9

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

I received some fan art earlier this week and it was a big surprise! I didn't expect any honestly. I appreciate it though and I also want to say that I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my FanFiction. Thank you. :) I will try to update each week, but you know how life can be... Busy or a handful!

Also, I know where my story is headed, but there are going to be a ton of new OC(s) lined up during the adventures. I have no issues with coming up with an OC, but if you would like to see one of your own put into my FanFiction, just send me a message. Credit will be given.

* * *

Chopper sat on the side of the Thousand Sunny with his legs hanging over the edge, "Shouldn't they be back by now?"

Already bored of the waiting, Luffy let out a petty groan, "It's not fair, why can't I explore?"

"You aren't going anywhere," Nami chimed in from her spot on the deck, "Once everyone gets back, we're leaving."

Moving next to Chopper, Brook put a hand to his forehead and scoped out the surroundings, "Maybe they got lost or worse," he paused dramatically, "they died."

Hopping down from his spot, Chopper turned to Brook and flailed his body around, "Don't say that!"

From the gardens, Franky let out a whistle and extended his arm out, "Ow! Do you see that?!"

Raising his head lazily, Luffy looked up at Franky, "See what?"

Holding the palm of his hand towards the island, the smaller hand pointing towards the center, Franky nudged his head, "Look! It's shining like a diamond!"

Resting a hand to the top of his hat, Luffy sat up and looked beyond the island's bay, "What is it?"

With two hands holding tight to the rail to keep steady, Brook hovered his entire body over the rim and stared hard, "Is it some kind of crystal?" he mused.

"Diamond? Crystal?" Nami chirped, appearing beside the four pirates, "As in something I can wear or sell?"

"Uh-" Chopper waved his hands in front of Nami's vision, the look of greed washing over her features, "Nami?"

Instantly standing up, Luffy crossed his arms over his chest and grinned wide, "I say we check it out!"

An uneasiness lingered in the pit of Chopper's stomach, "Wait, we don't know what it is! It could be something dangerous!"

Brook put a hand to his chin and he squinted down at Chopper, "Or it could be the others signaling for help."

Chopper's mouth fell open and he turned his attention back to the gleaming object in the distance, "You don't think so, do you!?"

"There's only one way to find out!" Jumping down from the ship's rail, Luffy faced his crew with eagerness, "We check it out!"

* * *

Jael hooked his thumbs behind his belt loops, "If I am counting my weeks right, today marks the first day of celebration."

"Celebration?" Sanji inclided his head toward the man, "Celebration of what?"

"Every year the elders have a festival to celebrate the Kingdom's rule. It's a bash that lasts an entire week with arranged music, decorations, costumes and feasts."

"Is that why we haven't been swarmed by marines." Mae pondered, pointing toward the empty halls, "I'd expect someone to show up after the loud commotion we caused."

Zoro looked in the direction Mae pointed, a crease in his forehead forming as he frowned, "Usually there'd be marines surrounding us by now."

Jael thought for a moment, tightening his hold on the belt loops, "Typically they would have heard the ruckus that you guys made, but I am betting the loud music drowned that out."

Talk about convenient.

Kneeling down on the prison floor, Jael swiped up a rock and immediately began dragging it against the concrete wall, "We're going to have to split up to locate the control box."

Usopp stumbled back, "Split up?!" his voice rang, "But I thought you knew where to go!"

Pausing, a long silence filled the air followed by a terse nod and a grunted "I do."

"Then why would we need to split up?" Sanji inquired suspiciously, looking over Jael's shoulder to see what he was scribbling on the walls.

An over exaggerated sigh escaped Jael, "Because it's always on the move." After a short second, he tossed the rock aside and stood back. With a hand on his hip, he held the other out and introduced his terrible work of art, "This, my friends, is where the control box is located."

Rounding Jael, Usopp inspected the lines sketched out on the wall, "It looks like a woman."

Mae nudged the tip of her toes on the back of Usopp's ankle, "A woman with large circles."

Swooning, Sanji danced over to the drawing, "She looks beautiful!"

Mae sucked in a breath, holding back a laugh, "It's a stick with two circles."

Continuing to inspect the drawing, as if it had a hidden message between the lines, Usopp took a moment before inclining his head to Jael, "Where is the control box suppose to be anyways?"

Raising a single finger in the air, a smirk crossed over Jael's lips, "Ah! Yes. Good question." Dancing his finger in the air, he waited a split second before letting it land directly between the two circles, "Right here."

Mae sighed, "Of course it would be there."

Glancing over his shoulder, Jael nodded, "Her name is Ze've. She carries the control box with her on a necklace. It's small, gray and on the inside it has the key, or button, to release your collars."

Scratching at her neck thoughtfully, Mae let her eyes fall on Zoro. Nudging her head in his direction, "Could you cut it from her neck?" She asked, knowing the obvious answer.

Before Zoro could reply, Sanji snorted, "Not unless you want her head to come with it."

Jael took a step forward and raised a hand, "There will be no cutting. We just need to get her drunk enough to swipe it. Typically she hangs around the court yard during the costume contests, so it shouldn't be hard to find her."

"Drunk? So we're going to get a woman drunk and then steal from her?" Mae frowned, "That sounds too easy."

"Trust me, it isn't." Jael dusted his hands off on his worn down pants, "She can handle her liquor. But there isn't another way unless we want to cause a scene."

Mae's pondered his words, "Once we get these collars off, I'm pretty sure there's going to be a scene."

"Yes, but if we aren't careful and the elders realize what we are up to, Ze've and the control box will be taken somewhere safe. And if that happens, you can forget about getting those collars of yours off."

"What?!" Usopp held his hands to his head, panic washing over his face.

Mae reached out and gripped Usopp's wrist, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "We can do this."

Zoro shrugged his shoulders, "I could go for a drink."

Mae smirked, looking over her shoulder at Zoro, "And so could I."

"Then it's settled," Jael clapped his hands together, "you two will gradually make your way into Ze've's position with an offering of drinks." Nudging his head toward Sanji and Usopp, "And we'll stay back to keep watch. If they suspect anything and attempt to move Ze've, we can keep a close eye on her."

Walking over to the drawing of a lines and circles, Mae licked her lips, "How will we know it's her?"

"She'll be the one dressed up like a lobster," Lust filled Jael's eyes, "A sexy lobster with some big-"

"Okay, okay." Mae stopped him from going any further, "We get it."

* * *

"What is this place?!" Luffy jumped in front of his crew with excitement, a single hand holding his hat steady "It smells so good!"

"Is that music I hear?" Brook sang, "I would love to see who's playing!"

"Shouldn't we find the others first?" Chopper implied, eying a stand of cotton candy.

"They'll be fine on their own." Nami decided, looking at a rather vibrant building with dazzling lights, the word 'casino' hanging above the main door.

Franky nodded, "I'm sure they're here! I bet that's why they didn't come back right away."

"How come you didn't see this place before?" Chopper asked, his eyes straining to leave the cotton candy stand, "Didn't you guys come this far?"

"Yeah," Nami mumbled, "We did venture off this far."

"A mirage," Robin observed, "It kept the place hidden from the outside. I'm guessing that tall building in the center is the shining light Franky spotted on the ship. It must have broke through the illusion." she explained, pointing towards a massive building. It stretched at least four-hundred stories with a vast amount of decorations and lights.

Suddenly a loud squeak caught the crew's attention, "Woah, that's one awesome robot costume!" a boy shouted from a distance, peeking around a group of people to get a good look at Franky.

Franky scratched at his head looking around, "Costume?" he mumbled.

"Honey, what did I tell you about pointing?" Coming beside the small child, a woman dressed in a dancers costume took a hold of his hand and led him in another direction, "It's rude."

"But mom, didn't you see his costume! He'd win the contest for sure!" The boy continued, turning around to stare at Franky in awe as he was pulled away.

Chopper beamed up at the growing crowds, "I just noticed that everyone is in costume!"

Suddenly another person appeared beside the group, a young man with drool dripping down his jaw, "That's some Cat Burgler Nami costume you have on! The best one I've seen yet!"

"What?" Nami turned around to confront the man, confusion written on her face.

"Check this costume out, she's like a replica of Nico Robin!" Another person spoke up, gesturing towards the group.

"Uhm-" Franky took a step back as people started to form around them, "You two are getting more attention than we need."

Robin smiled, "I saw a costume shop just around the corner. Perhaps we should change and blend in. I think there's a celebration going on."

Nodding, Nami took a step back from the crowd and faced the crew, "Yeah. If we don't, someone is sure to realize that we are actual Straw Hat Pirates and not in costume."

* * *

Standing in front of his dressing room mirror, Zoro raised his arms in the air and watched as his costume moved clumsily with him, "I'm not wearing this."

Stepping outside of her changing room, Mae peeked inside of Zoro's. Her cheek twitched and she fought back a laugh, "But I think it looks good on you!"

Catching sight of Mae in the mirror's reflection, Zoro spun around and gestured to the costume that she wore, "And what are you supposed to be?!"

Looking down at her costume, a wide grin crossed over her lips and she stepped into his dressing room, "A ham!"

"It's a good thing Luffy isn't around," Usopp squeezed into the dressing room next to her, "or else he'd try to eat you!"

"That costume looks awesome!" Mae laughed, taking a step back to admire the squid outfit that Usopp had picked out.

"Do you think so?" he asked, spinning in a circle before stopping to pose.

Dismissing the two pirates with a heavy breath, Zoro turned his back to them and stared at his reflection, "How am I supposed to fight in this?"

Adjusting the giant ham costume with a satisfied smile, Mae shrugged her shoulders, "I thought the world's greatest swordsman could fight in anything."

"But a giant octopus costume? The arms will get in my way." Zoro took a step forward and moved into a fighting position, the tentacles waving around his body without control.

Slapping away a tentacle, Usopp cracked a smile, "I think it suits you! And we match!"

Mae held back a laugh, "First of all, they are tentacles, not arms and second," reaching around Usopp, she zipped up Zoro's costume, "The man said that it's all he had left. Nothing else would fit."

"And out of all the costumes, you picked a ham?" Pressing his way out of the dressing room, it becoming too crowded, Zoro took a spot in the middle of the store.

Following after him, "I like it." Mae said, nodding in agreement to her own statement.

Tying and altering a maroon tie around his neck, Sanji kept an intent watch on his reflection, "Let the lady enjoy her costume."

"We're supposed to dress up!" Zoro shouted with irritation, catching sight of the cook who decided to go with a pressed black suit accompanied by a purple button up shirt.

Sanji reached for a mask on the wall and then fixed it against his face, "I am wearing a costume." He shrugged, "Just because we have to dress up, doesn't mean I have to look ridiculous."

Pointing a finger at the cook, "That's so many layers! Isn't it too hot to be wearing that?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"You're one to talk," Mae's lips turned into a sardonic grin, "You already have sweat spots."

Appearing beside Mae in a female tennis player's outfit, Jael wrapped an arm around her with his other hand held out, "Here. A beautiful lady doesn't need to sweat."

Blinking, she looked down at his hand and took notice of a silver ring, "Oh. It's one of those rings that cool you off, right?"

Pulling away, "That it is. I have a couple for you three as well. They aren't cheap, but who cares when you can get things for free?" Jael shrugged, tossing the rings in Usopp, Sanji and Zoro's direction.

"So in other words, you stole them?" Mae shoved the ring onto her finger and in an instant the feeling of cool air washed over her body. A smile broke out and she felt relieved. Typically, she would use her powers to cool down, but with the collar, she didn't have control over them.

"Is that a problem? I mean, if you want to go pay for them-"

"Nope! This works!" Usopp held his hand out in front of his face, admiring at the silver ring.

"Also," Holding his hand out to the group, he offered four small boxes to them, "your goggles are a dead give away. These will protect your eyes."

Usopp took a hold of a small box and flipped it open, "You thought of everything!"

Once Zoro put on the ring and the new eye protection, he inclined his head toward the barrel that he had leaned his swords against. Knitting his brows, he instantly advanced for the barrel and tipped it over. Hundreds of plastic swords spilled onto the floor, "Where are my swords?!" he shouted, "they were right here!"

Everyone, excluding Sanji, stumbled back at his sudden fit.

Searching frantically for his swords, Zoro continued to turn barrels upside down. And just when he turned the last barrel over, a man appeared behind the group. "Excuse me," he stepped around the swords on the floor, "are you looking for a pair of swords? I don't think that it would go with your costumes, but we have plenty." he said, leaning down to swipe of couple from the floor, "as you can see."

Squeezing by the group, "We are actually looking for my friend's swords." Mae explained, "They were left against a barrel."

Studying the bunch behind her, "I just sold three swords to a young man while you were in the changing room." He said, his eyes directing back to Mae and softening, "They looked authentic, but then again, all my swords do."

Zoro scoffed at the man's words, due to the fact that these swords could easily be told apart from his own.

Holding a hand to Zoro's chest to keep him from taking a step forward, "Which way did he go?" Mae probed.

The man transfixed his eyes towards the door, "I over heard him mention something about the costume contest."

Jael tugged at the skirt he wore, fixing it properly around his waist, "This is a set back."

"All right," turning to meet everyone's gaze, Mae motioned a hand toward Sanji, then Usopp and then over to Jael, "You three will keep post as we originally planned. I will work my way to Ze've's side. While I do that, Zoro can look for his swords and instead of meeting up with me, he can find a spot along the grounds and keep watch."

Jael caught her eyes with his own, "You're vulnerable without your strength, are you sure you want to get close to her? If she catches sight of that collar or if you hint just for a second that you're after her necklace-"

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."

* * *

Brook turned around and began to walk backwards as they passed a cluster of young boys, "Those kind of look like Zoro's swords."

Franky snorted a laugh as he observed the young man that walked by them, "It's a mini Zoro!"

"Don't you find it weird that some of these people are dressed up like us?" Chopper asked, watching a group of 'pirates' stroll by.

"You should be flattered that someone wants to dress up like you. I haven't seen one person wearing my costume." Brook whined, kicking stray debris on the ground.

"Hey guys, check this costume out!" Luffy laughed, walking along side a person wearing an outfit that replicated his own.

Nami growled under her breath and snatched Luffy by the collar, yanking him back to their side, "Would you quit drawing attention to yourself!"

Coming to a sudden stop in front of a store, Robin offered a kind smile to the crew, "We should be able to find something in here."

* * *

"Maybe a ham costume wasn't the best idea." Mae murmured to herself as she wiggled past crowds. The court yard was chock-full of people in all types of costumes ranging from animals to plants to food to house hold items. It was difficult to maneuver from one end to the other and even with the ring, she felt like she could break a sweat from the closeness of the bodies. Dismissing her mental complaints though, Mae forced herself to focus on the goal at hand.

To locate a lobster.

And to locate a lobster is exactly what she did. From her position in the court yard, Mae spotted a luscious woman of beauty wearing a rather seductive lobster costume. Ze've was precisely what Jael had described. She had long, flowing blonde locks of hair and a body that could compete with a mermaids. It was no wonder that she had five guards on either side of her. With such beauty, it was certain that men would attempt to take a grab.

Slyly, Mae jigged her way between a group of men and without their knowledge, snatched up two of their sake bottles. Moving her shoulders to the beat of the music that boomed off of the court yard's walls, she then danced as elegantly as she could in her ham costume, working her way toward Ze've's position. It took a few side steps, twisting and turning, but eventually she came to a stop in front of the stage that the woman was seated on.

She was even more beautiful up close.

Puffing her cheeks out with a breath, Mae advanced for the stairs, but before she could even lift her foot, the tip of a sword was placed under her chin.

"No one is allowed on the stage except for welcomed guests." A guard spoke with a rigid voice, his sword unyielding.

"But am I not welcomed?" Mae responded cheekily, holding the two bottles of sake up.

The guard did not find her tone amusing, the sword pushing against her throat and just above the collar.

Swallowing, "I mean, I have drinks?" she questioned her own words.

"Let her by. She has my favorite." Ze've sighed and waved an elegant hand, "and besides," her eyes barely scanned over Mae's body, "she's ugly. Her presence is welcomed."

That was uncalled for.

Resisting a subtle comeback, Mae wore a forced smile and stepped around the sword, "I figured we could share a drink and enjoy the contests together."

Ze've took the bottle that was offered to her, "Are you sure you want to sit with me?"

"As long as you share those barrels of whisky behind you." Mae smirked, nudging her head back.

A twitch fought against Ze've's lips, but she did not respond and instead, raised her bottle in cheers before taking a swig.

Raising her bottle in return, Mae took a seat on the floor. Removing the top off of her sake, she shoved the bottle to her mouth and welcomed the bitter taste. Subtly, as she swallowed vast amounts of liquor, she cast her eyes on the necklace that sat between Ze've's breasts.

It was now time to play the waiting game.


	17. (XVII) The Luminous Island Part 10

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

Scowling, Jael rubbed the knot on his head, "Why did you kick me?!"

Sanji reached into his coat pocket and retrieved a lighter, "You started to run." he shrugged, leaning against a wall.

A shameless grin crossed Jael's features. "I wasn't trying to run. I was trying to catch up with some half-naked dancers that had big ol' boobs." he admitted.

"Dancers?! Half-Naked?!" Sanji repeated, the cigarette between his lips falling to the ground, "Where?!"

"Well, they were over there," Jael thrusted his thumb to the right of them, "but because of you, I lost sight of them."

Jumping from right to left, Sanji searched the herds of people, "Why didn't you say something before?!"

Bending his knees and holding two hands to his head, Jael's jaw dropped to the floor, "You've got to be kidding me!"

* * *

Usopp let out a huff of air, slumping down on an empty box. Propping his elbows on either knee, he buried his face into the palms of his hands and shook his head, "This isn't good! Where did they go?!" While he stayed at his post, Jael and Sanji did the exact opposite and were nowhere to be seen.

"Usopp," A voice came from behind a wall, "Usopp is that you?"

Panicking, Usopp stood up and reached for his pop greens. When his hand touched nothing but waist side, he looked down with wide eyes, "Where are my-?!" He then paused and it clicked. When they escaped, more so walked out of the prison, he never got his things back.

Before he could react, Luffy came walking around the wall wearing a turtle costume and a wide grin, "Hey!" he voiced happily, waving a leg of meat in the air.

"Luffy?! What are you doing here?!"

Shoving the leg of meat into his mouth, bone and all, "We came looking for you guys!" he muffled between bites.

Usopp pouted his lips to the side, "It looks like you came here to eat." Looking over his shoulder, he surveyed the area, "Where's everyone else?"

Luffy looked from right to left, "No idea."

Throwing his hands in the air with an eagerated sigh, "Well we need to find them! We're about to start a war!"

"Do you think they have any food around here?"

"Are you even listening?!"

* * *

"They sure are nosy." Franky scratched his head, looking over his shoulder at a group of kids who snickered and peeked around walls to get a better look at him. Unlike the group, he wasn't able to find a costume that would fit and he was forced to walk around without one.

Shoving a chunk of cotton candy into his mouth, "They probably think you're wearing a costume!" Chopper decided, enjoying the sights.

"We'll have to keep you in the crowded areas to blend in, or out of sight." Nami mumbled, holding a hand to her chin.

Franky turned to the kids, shoving his finger against his nose. As his hair changed, the children bounced up and down with excitement.

"Super!" he exclaimed, posing with his arms in the air. In a matter of seconds the children were circling around them, their small hands reaching up and tugging at his arms.

"That isn't blending in!" Nami barked, throwing a hand up.

"You're so cool!"

"Where did you get your costume?!"

"Your hair is awesome!"

"Can I touch your nose?!"

"Are you going to enter the contest?!"

"You'd win the contest for sure!"

"The one-hundred million reward would be yours!"

Beli signs appeared in Nami's eyes at the last comment, "Did you say something about a reward?!"

One of the children, a small girl dressed as a ballerina, turned to Nami and beamed up at her, "Yeah!"

Nami knelt down beside her, clasping her hands together, "How do we get this reward?"

"The contest! They have costume contests and at the end of each day, the trophies are given out! Everyone knows this!"

Robin looked down at the girl, "Of course."

Standing up, Nami dusted her dancer's skirt off and then turned to her crew mates, "Who's going to enter the contest?"

"What?!" Chopper dropped his cotton candy, "We can't enter! Can we?"

Franky gestured to his body, "What happened to blending in?"

"We can put down fake names." Nami suggested.

"What if someone recognizes us?!" Chopper blurted out, bouncing up and down.

With greedy thoughts overthrowing her sensible ones, "I doubt they would recognize him." Nami decided, pointing to Franky.

Robin crossed an arm over her waist and inclined her head to Chopper, "We can stand back and watch."

"That would be super!" Franky remarked, flexing his arms, "You can watch me win!"

Squeezing between the group, the small girl waved a hand at them, "If you want to enter, you got to go now! The last one for the night is gonna start after the show!"

* * *

Musicians and dancers waited patiently behind one of the stages, preparing to put on a show once the judges dismissed the contestants. Having followed the sound of instruments being plucked, Brook ended up behind the stage and with the group of people.

With excitement, he walked around and examined the various types of instruments, some he hadn't seen before. No one seemed to mind that he was there, and because he was wearing a costume, no one seemed to recognize him. While the crew had gone one direction in the type of costumes they wore, Brook went in another and picked out his very own Humming Brook costume. Apparently it was the latest in the Kingdom and a favorite. And he didn't mind wearing _himself._

"These people sure are friendly!" Brook hummed, strutting by a group of women who bowed their heads. "Maybe they recognize me? No, I'm wearing a costume! Even though I'm wearing me!"

"Hey you!"

"Huh?" Turning around and pointing to himself, Brook looked in the direction of a rotund man, "Me?"

"Yes you! You're late!" Pushing two dancers out of his path and knocking them over, the man made his way to Brook. "Snitz, we are counting on you! Your Humming Brook impersonation is a favorite in the show and you can't just show up anytime you want to!"

Without warning a woman pushed herself between Brook and the man, "Porter, we start in five."

The man nodded his head in understanding and turned his attention to the surrounding musicians and dancers, "Ze've is in a bad mood, so let's try to put on a good show."

Directing his attention back to the woman, Ported handed her a clipboard, "Missy, I'm going to find a drink, God knows I need it. Make sure everyone is on stage and in position."

Missy pressed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Yes, of course." Turning on the heel of her foot, she faced Brook and eyed him from top to bottom, "You're taller. Did they add inserts into your platforms?"

Looking down at his feet, Brook raised his leg up, "Platforms? Shoe inserts? Ho Ho Ho Ho!"

Blinking, "What's so funny? And why are you laughing like that?" Missy asked and then held a hand up before Brook could reply, "Nevermind. I understand getting into character. Just try to hold a tune and don't be late next time."

* * *

"The contests are the best part," Ze've held a barrel to her mouth, drowning the rest of her words out as she swallowed a mouthful of whisky. Once it was lightened to a fair amount, she broke with a breath, "Besides the fireworks." Shaking the barrel, she examined the small hole at the top, checking to see how much was left.

"You sure drink a lot." Mae mumbled, watching her guzzle down the drink like a mountain bandit. As the hours continued to pass by, she began to wonder if Ze've was immune to the effects of alcohol.

Looking down the bridge of her nose, "And you haven't touched your drink."

Mae kicked the barrel peeved, "Because unlike you, I can't lift it up." The container was twice their size, and yet Ze've was able to lift it up with ease. And because of the collar and it weakening components, she could barely shuffle the barrel or lift it up.

Fingers unmindfully playing with the necklace around her neck, Ze've stood up from her seat, "I can help you with that." she offered. Without waiting for a reply, she snatched the barrel up with ease and held it up and over Mae, "Tilt your head back." She demanded, her body seductively pressing against the wooden container.

Mae flushed at the sudden order and position that she stood in. It must have looked interesting to the guests and onlookers. A sexy lobster feeding alcohol to a rather repugnant ham. Holding her hands up, she attempted to pardon the gesture, but when she tried to speak, the drink came pouring into her mouth. It was sloppy at first, spilling down her chin, but once she adjusted herself, she was able to enjoy the bitter taste.

"Good, huh?" Ze've mouted, peering around the barrel.

Holding a thumbs up, Mae gurgled a "Uh-huh!"

Ze've fixed it upright and set it down, "Better?" She asked, dusting imaginary dirt off of her outfit.

Mae cringed, scratching at the back of her wrist, "I'd hate for you to do that every time I wanted a drink."

That was a lie. If it was a hassle for Ze've to move up and down, it didn't bother her one bit.

Ze've snapped her fingers and held a hand out, "That was just for fun. We have straws. I like you. Well, I don't like you. I like having you up here. It makes me look selfless by having you on the stage, and I also look a million times better with you sitting next to me." As she explained her reasoning, a straw was place in her hand.

"Gee, I appreciate it." Mae muttered. Catching sight of the hand that gave Ze've the straw, she drew her attention to it. It was dirty and the nails were unruly. It was shaking and the skin was dried out. The hand didn't belong to just anyone; it belonged to a slave. Swallowing down the rattling anger that built up inside of her, Mae tore her eyes from the scene. It wasn't time to cause a scene. It was still a waiting game and if wanted to get the collar off and help these people, she had to be patient.

* * *

Robin looked at the center stage. People were lined up across it in a variety of costumes. On the left side of the stage, five judges sat with pen and paper in their hands, scribbling down notes every time someone stepped forward. On the right side, a large table stood with trophies of all shapes and sizes. The one trophy that stood out, was a large golden trophy overfilled with gems and jewels.

Nami's eyes instantly lit up at the sight, "Make sure you win me, I mean us, that trophy!"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Chopper persisted, hiding behind Robin's leg as the court yard thundered with applause.

Franky looked around, "Where do we sign up? Do we just jump on stage?"

"I saw a sign up booth toward the back of the stage, you should go there." Robin suggested while looking down at Chopper with a reassuring smile.

Nami waved a hand toward the stage, "And make it quick! The girl said there's only going to be one more contest after the show."

* * *

"Mae's on one of the stages now! She's planning on snatching the key!"

Luffy shifted his straw hat, looking at the crowds that compiled in the court yard, "Well what are we waiting for?" grinning, he looked over at Usopp, "Let's get that key!"

Stumbling forward, Usopp grabed Luffy's wrist before he could go anywhere, "Wait Luffy! We can't! Weren't you listening? I told you already! If they suspect anything, then we'll never get these collars off!"

Luffy's arm stretched as he walked forward and toward the stage.

"We already have a plan! We just need to sit back and wait!" Usopp exclaimed, insisting that his captain wait.

* * *

Brook adjusted the skull mask that he wore, making sure that his vocal's wouldn't be blocked out by the plastic. The muscians lined up across the stage and took their positions while the dancers twirled to their own spots. Everyone was in position and he was the last one to walk out. The crowds eagerly waited in silence as he took his spot at the center of the stage and fixed the microphone.

Clearing his throat, he reached out and removed the microphone, holding it to his mouth, "Are you ready to rock?!"

At the sudden outburst, Chopper stumbled back and looked around, "That sounds like-"

Nami paused in her steps when Brook's voice echoed across the court yard, "Don't tell me-"

"It looks like Sabaody Archipelago wasn't his last performance." Robin chuckled, her eyes taking in the sight of Brook.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Nami growled, "That's not blending in!"

* * *

Mae lazily raised her arm, waving it around carelessly, "Bring on the whisky!" Even though she knew that she had to watch how much she drank, not wanting to sabotage the mission, she couldn't deny that her love for alcohol was as strong as the bitter taste.

"I'd like another as well!" Ze've beckoned, flicking strands of hair over her shoulder.

With a satisfied smile, Mae leaned back with one hand on the floor and the other over her stomach. Ze've offered her a chair multiple times before, but she denied it every time. It was comfortable on the floor, and it was also easier to keep balance in the costume.

Not long after their request for more whisky, a voice boomed across the court yard, "Are you ready to rock?!" and a loud thud followed after. Mae inclined her head and caught sight of barrels rolling across the stage in different directions. She bit her lower lip nervously between her teeth. It was obvious that who ever was in charge of the whisky, got thrown off by the sudden outburst and caused a minor accident. The guards didn't seem to care, taking side steps to avoid being rolled over, and the friends and family on the stage kept their attention on the show that was about to start.

Ze've on the other hand was blistering with anger, her attention on the mess. "You've got to be kidding me!" She was already standing up from her chair with a foot pressed against a stray barrel, preventing it from going any further. Her face was now a red hue, matching the lobster costume she wore. And she kept an inflexible stare on the somebody who knocked over the whisky.

Mae followed her stare, catching sight of the slave who was under her radar. Instantly her tongue dried out and guilt washed over her.

"Brox." Her voice was barely a whisper.

While she was enjoying the constant coming and going of barrels, she pushed aside the realization of who it was that served them. How could she have gotten carried away with her own demands for more booze?

Ze've shoved her finger into Brox's chest, "Where's the other man?" she snarled.

Brox stumbled back from the force, "He- He- He-"

"He- He- He-" she mocked, "I swear, you slaves get more pathetic every year! Look at this mess!"

Mae swallowed hard and adverted her eyes. If he were to see her, what would he think? Would he assume that she was taking part in the festivities and had forgotten all about him, or would he figure out that she was there for another reason? Maybe he had already seen her. Keeping a hard stare on the stage, Mae attempted to avoid eye contact with him.

"Where's the other slave! You can't even lift a single barrel!" Ze've motioned and gestured to all of Brox, "You're trash! You're useless!"

Peering from the corner of her eye, Mae caught sight of the ten guards that were now stationed to the right side of the platform. They weren't responding to Ze've's tantrum and instead, kept their eyes on the band that was playing. She could tell that they heard her, but chose to ignore the complaints. It was obvious because every time she stomped her foot, their eyebrows would twitch.

"Why'd I pick a ham?" Mae breathed, rolling over onto her stomach. Pressing two hands against the ground, she maneuvered herself into a hunched position and heaved a breath. Using what strength she could, she stood herself up.

Wobbling to Ze've's side, she stretched a hand out and nonchalantly pushed Brox from her reach and took a side step in front of him, "I'm sure we don't need to make a scene." Gesturing toward the barrels, "Why don't we just serve ourselves? I mean, they aren't that heavy and now they are even closer!"

Ze've face contorted into an unpleasant expression that even she couldn't pull off. And without warning a shrill noise ran up her throat. A noise that finally caught the guard's _full_ attention. Immediately two of them were at her side, resting their left arms in the crook of their backs and bowing, "Ma'am."

Mae took a hesitant step back, "Just hold on a little longer." She whispered, her voice barely audible. She knew that it would have been impossible for Brox to hear her, but just saying those words reassured herself in this situation.

"What is the problem?" The two guards spoke in unison. They weren't like the previous guards that she had encountered beneath the sand. These guards were more real. More human.

Growling, Ze've leaned around Mae and snatched Brox. Bringing him in front of them, she shoved him forward, "This is the problem!"

One of the guards looked down at him with a frown, "The boy? What has he done?"

Mae couldn't help but wonder if the frown was out of pity or disapproval.

Ze've shook Brox's arm violently, causing him to cry out. It was the arm that was injured in previous incidents. "Nothing! That's the thing! He can barely lift a single barrel! Where is my other slave?! He was slow, but at least he wasn't worthless!"

"I thought you noticed, Ma'am-" The second guard gestured toward scattered trays, "He fell and broke his leg when he was stepping around your food trays. We had to replace him."

Mae froze at the guard's words. The man fell and broke his leg. It didn't occure to her that it had happened. In fact, when she heard the trays fall and scatter across the platform earlier, she ignored it completely. Licking her lips, she stared down at her feet with scrutiny. How could she not have taken notice.

"What am I supposed to do with this one?" Ze've roughly removed Brox's arm from her hold, "He's useless!"

Without thinking, Mae took a gentle hold of his hand and brought him to her side. Brox blinked at the soft gesture. Looking up, he stared at her behind swollen cheeks. It took a moment, but it was right then when he recognized who she was.

"Mae..." He whispered.

* * *

"What are you thinking?" Nami snarled under her breath, yanking Brook down to her eye level, "What if they notice you aren't an impersonator?"

"That was so cool!" Chopper beamed, swaying from side to side.

Franky strutted between the two, "That was super!"

Robin stood behind the group, inspecting the musicians and dancers, "It looks like you wore them out."

"Wore us out?" A man spoke, coming to their side, "Snitz never sang like that! We weren't ready!"

"Ho Ho Ho Ho!" Brook bashfully laughed, "That was exhilarating!"

"And we have one more performance tonight during the firework show, think you can sing like that again?" The man asked, excitement written all over his face.

"He better after that performance." Missy appeared next to them, "Are you sure you're our Snitz? Or are you the real Soul King? You kept a tune the entire song. You've never done that before."

Brook shared a nervous look with his crew mates.

Missy laughed, "Of course you're not. No one can compare to him, he's a legend. Just keep doing what your doing and tonight will be remembered for years to come."

Brook's ego grew at Missy's words, "A legend?"

Franky worked his way to the stage, climbing a couple of steps. "Wish me luck!" he grinned, standing behind a group of contestants for the costume contest.

Nami waved an eager hand, "Win me, I mean us, that trophy!"

Chopper bounced up and down, waving his arms, "Good luck!"

Smiling, Robin nodded her head in his direction, "We'll be watching."

* * *

"Ladies, don't be shy!" Jael snatched a dancer by the wrist and brought her into his lap, "We just want to talk."

Landing gently in his lap, the woman giggled and brushed her finger tips against his five o'clock shadow, "What do you want to talk about?"

With a smirk, Jael grabbed her hand from his face and held it, "How beautiful our children will be."

"Oh?" The woman blushed, "I already have a husband." Leaning forward, she brushed her lips over his ear, "But I'm sure he wouldn't mind sharing."

Sanji danced between the women that they had run into. Taking two of them, he pulled them to his side and offered a charming grin, "Ladies!"

"Yes," A peal of laughter escaped the two women, "We are ladies."

Jael grinned mischievously, "Ladies with big-"

"There you are!"

Lifting his eyes from the women, Sanji caught sight of Usopp and Luffy. While Luffy was distracted with the different types of food that they passed, Usopp was holding an accusing finger up at them, "We are supposed to be-" he paused and leaned in with a hand to his mouth, "-on a mission." he whispered.

"Yeah, and we're watching." Jael said casually, running a hand through his hair.

Sanji ignored Usopp, looking around him and at his captain, "What are you doing here? How'd you find this place?"

"We saw it from the Thousand Sunny!" Luffy explained, stretching his arm out. Grabbing a snack from one of the many booths surrounding them, he shoved it into his mouth, "We came looking for you!"

Jael heaved a breath, "And you found them. Who is this anyway?"

"This is our captain, have more respect!" Usopp shouted, pointing his finger in Jael's face.

Slapping Usopp's hand away, Jael stood up, but kept his arm around the woman's waist, "Captain, huh? You don't look like a captain."

"I am the captain, and I plan on being the King of the Pirates too!"

Jael looked over his shoulder at no one in particular before turning his attention back to Luffy, "I'd keep that down if I were you. We have a plan to stick to and we don't need distractions."

Usopp shook his head and threw both of his hands up, "Distractions? Like having half-naked women around you aren't distractions?!"

"There's enough to go around. We were just keeping ourselves occupied while we wait. Like I said, it's gonna take a while." Jael shrugged before nuzzling his face into the woman's neck, "You smell nice."

The woman laughed, "It's a new perfume!"

"Mae's trusting us right now, the least we can do is give her our full attention!"

Sanji nodded, "You're right, Mae needs our attention."

"And so do these chicks!" Jael encouraged, grabbing another woman and yanking her to his side.

Pocketing his hands, Sanji looked over his shoulder at the dancers, "I'm sorry ladies, but my friend needs-" As the words drifted from his lips, the women began to wave and giggle. Bug-eyed, Sanji turned around entirely to face them. Holding his arms open, he floated toward them, "You need just as much attention too! Come here ladies!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Usopp exclaimed, looking between the two men.

* * *

"Where's the trophy? Did you win?" Nami eagerly stood at Franky's side, looking around for a trophy.

Franky flexed his arms, "I won't know until after the last performance!"

"You were awesome up there!" Chopper's eyes lit up in sparkles as he stared at his crew mate with admiration.

Robin took a side glance at the passing contestants, "Let's find a spot to watch the show, Brook's up next."

Franky and Chopper nodded, "Yeah! We could go for a show!"

"I swear, no one knows how to blend in." Nami muttered, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"Didn't you just have Franky enter a contest to gain Beli?" Robin mused, looking over at Nami.

Nami shrugged, "That's different. We need the Beli."

* * *

"My costume!" Ze've's voice shrilled loudly, coinciding with the initial opening of fireworks and Brook's performance.

Brox held his hands up apologetically, "I-I'm sorry!"

Standing up from the chair, Ze've kicked it across the platform, "You had one job! And now look at me!"

Quick on her toes, Mae searched the platform for tissues or a rag, "We can clean it up. It's not that bad."

"Not that bad? My entire costume is ruined because of him!" Ze've was now shaking with anger, her hands balled into tight fists.

"It- It was an accident!" Looking over his shoulder for an excuse, struggling to come up with words, Brox took a hesitant step back.

Ze've followed his foot work, "An accident?" Snorting a snarl, she snatched locks of his hair between her fingers and yanked him forward, "You purposely spilt the whisky!"

Yelping from the sudden action, Brox stumbled forward, "Please!" he pleased, fear washing over him.

Mae held a hand out, and took a step forward, "Ze've. Let's just clean you up. He's not important. Leave him alone."

Ze've ignored her, inspecting the bruises that were molded across Brox's face, "It looks like I'm not the only one you pissed off lately."

Brox whimpered, "I-I-"

"You're right, he's not important." she threw Brox onto the ground, "But because of his stupidity, he'll be going home to mommy with more than just a few bruises."

Brox gasped for a breath when his body crushed against the hard surface. And just as quick as he was to hit the floor, Ze've already had her leg raised in the air and thrusting downward. Mae's heart sunk and in that instant, the mission was dismissed. With a sharp step, she thrusted herself in front of the young boy and threw her arms up, painfully deflecting the attack.

Sharp pain misshaped the bones in her left arm, but she ignored it and raised her eyes to the woman, "I'm done playing the waiting game."

Ze've brought her leg back and straightened up, "I should have figured."

"He's just a boy."

"And let me guess, you're just another pathetic citizen who pities the slaves. A shame really, I was thinking about inviting you to sit with me tomorrow."

"There won't be a tomorrow once I'm done with you and your elders."

"There's always going to be a tomorrow."

Without processing her movement, Mae swung a fist in her direction, "Not if I can help it!"

Quick to catch the attack, Ze've took a crushing hold on Mae's hand, "How dare you."

Jerking her head back in pain, Mae forced back a whimper and sunk her neck into her shoulders. Even though Ze've didn't have a devil fruit power, she had a great deal of strength. And with the collar stealing every ounce of energy, it made the crushing grip a million times worse. That and not only was her left shoulder injured, but now her left arm was broken.

"How... Dare... You..." Mae bit her words between clenched teeth, "How... Dare... You... Treat these people... Like... This."

Toying with her necklace, "They're just slaves." Ze've expressed without a drip of guilt.

"They're people." Mae lowered her head, refusing to show her expressed pain.

Keeping a tight hold on Mae's fist, she twisted it slowly, the bones in her arm scraping against each other, "What was that? I can't hear you over your broken bones."

"Let her go!" Brox stood up, his hands tightening into fists, "Let her go!"

Ze've tilted her head to the side, "I almost forgot about you."

"Brox! No, just stay out of this!" Mae's voice was drowned out by another set of fireworks and Brook's booming performance.

Using Mae's distraction to her advantage, Ze've danced her fingers into a fist and without warning, pounded a crushing blow to her mouth. The sudden attack forced Mae onto her knees, a silent scream brushing past her lips.

Ze've lifted her leg into the air, "You're both pathetic." Shoving the heel of her pump into Mae's left shoulder, she dug into the bandaged wound, "All I cared about was having a little booze and a lot of fun. And you had to go and ruin it for me!" Turning her head toward the guards, "And as for you morons!" she hollared out, finally catching their attention.

Instantaneously they moved to Ze've's side with their weapons ready, "Ma'am!"

"It's about time." Thrusting a hand in Brox's direction, "While you were enjoying the show, he was committing treason."

"Treason?" One of the guards asked, "What did he do?"

"Does it matter what he did?" Ze've snarled, "Take him away and make sure he's locked up for a very long time."

At the sudden command, Mae used what strength she had to stand up. Wobbling from side to side, her eyes scanned the guards and organized them. She laid them out in order before finding a broken space. Inhaling a breath, she released it and sprung forward, using the space to her advantage. Slamming her body into Ze've, she used the leverage of her heavy costume and knocked the two of them onto the floor.

A wail escaped Ze've as she was crushed and thrown onto the floor, "Get her off of me!" she shrieked, her arms and legs waving around dramatically. Even though the guards attempt to help the woman, she didn't bother to wait. Using her own strength, she threw Mae off and onto the ground.

Laying limp and hopeless on the stage, Mae's eyes followed two of the guards who had a tight hold on Brox. They were forceful and because the young boy was refusing to go with them, they had to tie his hands behind his back in order to keep him from squirming so much. Mae helplessly watched as they led him off of the platform and behind walls. Soon after, a shadow was casted over her. She lifted her eyes and met Ze've's own, the woman staring dangerously down at her. "I told you," Slamming a foot into Mae's stomach, "there will be a tomorrow."

Raising a hand in the air, Ze've motioned the guards forward, "Take care of her! I want her blood scattered all over this platform and then cleaned up!"

Mae's mouth opened and closed for breaths, "There- There won't be a tomorrow."

The guards stood back and shared a look with one another, unsure of the demand that was just made.

When Ze've realized that they weren't moving forward, she turned on a heel and faced them, "Well?"

"Ma'am-"

"If you don't do what I say, I'll make sure that you and your families are taken care of."

The guards nodded in acknowledgement. Their footwork moved in unison as they raised their swords high and faced Mae. It wasn't a demand that they wanted to follow, but it was a demand that would not only protect themselves, but their families.

Mae closed her eyes and prepared for the attack, knowing well enough that she could not escape.

The guards readied themselves and it wasn't long until their swords were thrusting downward. Just as they were in mid swing, someone jumped in front of them and deflected their weapons, holding them back. The clashing of metal took Mae by surprise and she slowly opened her eyes. Blinking a couple of times, she took notice to an unmoving individual between her and the guards.

She then cracked a small smile, her teeth stained with blood, "You'd look a lot cooler if you weren't an octopus."


	18. (XVIII) The Luminous Island Part 11

© Eiichiro Oda

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 **U . P . D . A . T . E .**

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* * *

Zoro stood stagnant, keeping the guards at bay with his swords. They didn't move from their positions, but it was clear that they were bewildered by the sudden action; their mouths hanging wide open. And they were not the only ones who were surprised.

Ze've stumbled back. Words stacked up in her throat and it took her a couple of tries to find her voice. When she was able to clear the knots, she tightened her arms on either side of her with shakey confidence, her fingers rolling into tight fists. "Don't do anything you'll regret, swordsman! My uncles won't stand for this! It's treason!"

Using what strength she had, Mae pushed herself up, a moan drumming against her throat. A punch to the face was almost too much for her to bare and it shouldn't have been. The collar was a hastle and she couldn't wait to get it off.

Zoro ignored the woman. With no more than a slight shove, he knocked the guards back and they were flown off of the platform.

Raising her arms in defense, Ze've inclined her head upward and bit on her lower lip. An ear-splitting whistle brushed past her lips and it was obvious that she was calling for help. But between the defeaning music and booming firework show that congested the air, no one seemed to hear or notice the commotion.

Turning his back to Ze've, Zoro sheathed his swords and knelt down beside Mae. He could see that she had injuries, but they were minor. Trailing his eyes down to her bruised hand, he noticed her fingers twitch. When she loosened her hand, a smirk crossed his lips and he shovelled her into his arms.

"Moron."

Mae strained to smile, but it faded quick and she fastened her mouth closed. She could feel her bones crack and scrape in her arm when he picked her up.

Zoro didn't seem to notice her pain, his attention on the court yard. With a steady eye, he assessed the area and looked for an opening. He assumed that they would be surrounded by more guards soon and while he wouldn't mind sticking around to fight, he knew that he had to move Mae somewhere else.

"Are you listening to me!?" Ze've stretched her arm out. "You won't get away with this!"

Mae let out a deep sigh. "When I get this collar off, leave her to me."

A smug smirk twitched at the corner of Zoro's mouth. Not bothering with Ze've, he took a quick step and advanced forward. He hurdled over people and booths and because of his speed, it did not take him long to reach the outskirts of the courtyard. When he rounded a corner, he took a side glance to make sure that no one followed them. When he was sure that no one was around, he set Mae down.

Buckling her legs back, Mae pressed a hand against the concrete wall for support. Her knees were weak and she fought the urge to collapse. Wavering from side to side, she tucked her chin in and stared at the ground beneath her. It shifted back and forth, and it was not long until she realized that it was her mind playing tricks on her and the ground wasn't actually moving.

Dizzy, she lifted her head lazily and flopped it to the side. Looking at Zoro, she gave a halfhearted grin, "I think I'm about to pass out."

Zoro was unattentive to Mae's mumbled words. He kept his back to her and observed the empty pathways that connected around them. There wasn't a person in sight. Tilting his head back, he watched another set of fireworks explode, filling the sky with various colors. And when the last firework cracked, a hollow smack echoed from behind him.

Turning around on a quick foot, he immediately extended his arms out, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Zoro! Mae!" Usopp waved his arm in the air, running over to the two.

"Just what I need." Zoro muttered. Bending down on one knee, he laid his hand over Mae's and used his fingers to pry her own from the object she held onto it.

Leaning over to catch his breath, Usopp looked at Mae. "What happened?!"

"She passed out."

Usopp slapped a hand to his forehead. "What did you do to her?!"

"Nothing!" Zoro snapped, baring his teeth. "She just passed out!" Standing up, he tossed Usopp the necklace. "She got this back."

Catching the necklace, Usopp stared down at it, his eyes widening like saucers. "She got it?!"

"Oh hey, she got the necklace." Jael stated nonchalantly, walking around a corner with Sanji, "That was easy enough."

"Easy?" Zoro scoffed, "I wouldn't say easy."

"Don't take the credit," Sanji snorted, "we saw the whole thing."

"Yeah?" Clenching his hands into fists, Zoro stepped toward Sanji. "Then where were you, you half-assed cook!?"

"Where were you, moss-head?!"

Usopp swung the necklace back and forth in front of him, "How does it work?"

Jael reached out and snatched it. Flipping it open by a small latch, he held it out on the palm of his hand for the others to see. "You press the button, obviously." Looking between the pirates and then down at Mae, he frowned. "You know, once this button is pressed, you two aren't going to be the only ones without a collar."

"Yeah, so?" Zoro said.

"So, that means that the slaves on the surface will be free." Pausing, Jael looked up as another set of fireworks decorated the sky. With a forced breath, he lowered his eyes. "Free and in danger. They will try to fight once they realize that they have their strength back.

Sanji shrugged, "So let them fight."

"I'm ready for a fight." Zoro smirked, his hand moving toward the hilt of his sword.

Jael threw the necklace up and then caught it. "Unlike you and your friends, these people aren't strong. They'll most likely die."

"Hey you guys!" Chopper squeaked, drawing everyone away from the conversation. He was stationed on Frankie's shoulder with Nami and Robin in tow.

At the sight of his female crew mates, Sanji pushed Zoro over and frolicked to them. "Nami-Swan! Robin-Chwan!" He couldn't contain his excitement. And when he got closer to them, he noticed that they were both dressed up as dancers. More so, they were dressed down and barely wearing anything. With blood trickling down his nose, he started to twirl around them, "You make great dancers!"

Nami pushed a hand into Sanji's face, repelling him back. "We thought that we saw you come this way."

Coming to a stop, Robin looked down at Mae. "What's going on?"

Franky pointed behind them, "We were enjoying the show, but then we saw the commotion on the other stage!" he voiced.

Chopper bounced down from his shoulder and rushed over to Mae's side when he noticed that she was lying on the ground. "What happened?! Is there a doctor! She needs a doctor!"

Everyone shared a look.

Chopper jumped up, tugging his hat down. "I am the doctor! I need bandages! I need a bed!" While he shouted his demands, he started to remove supplies from his medical sack.

"What she needs if for you to press that button." Sanji said, eyeing the necklace in Jael's hand.

Usopp pounded a fist into the palm of his hand. "Sanji's right! It's taking away our strength. I feel weak as it is, I bet she feels ten times worse! Especially after what happened!"

"Can someone explain what happened?" Nami insisted.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Jael's eyes popped out of his head. Licking the corner of his mouth, he looked at Nami and Robin from top to bottom. With a quick sidestep, he moved next to them. "Aren't you two a couple of fine ladies with-"

Sanji was agile with his movements. Slamming a foot into Jael's side, he thrusted him into a nearby wall. "Watch what you say!"

Jael climbed out of the mess of concrete and debris. "Why'd you go and do that?!"

Aggravated, Nami put two hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "Can someone explain what's going on?"

Usopp stood between the two men and extended his arms. "We don't have time for this! We need to press that button!"

"What button?" Robin inquired, taking a step forward.

"This button." Jael held out the necklace.

Franky inspected it. "What's it for?"

"Someone stuck a bomb collar on us and it will get them off!" Usopp exclaimed, stretching the neck line of his costume.

"Bomb collar?" Robin mused.

"How did you manage to get that stuck on your neck?" Franky asked, leaning in to get a better look at the collar.

Usopp dug his toe in the ground. He didn't want to admit their stupidity. Looking down at the paved floor, he pointed to it. "Isn't that some fine craftsmenship! I wonder who carved the floor!"

Franky swatted the air. "Don't avoid the question!"

Jael shoved the necklace into his pocket. "I can't risk it."

"What?!" Usopp turned his attention back to Jael, his jaw hitting the floor. "You have to press it!"

"If I press it, then the slaves will be my responsibility!"

Nami knocked a fist into Zoro's head. "What's going on?!"

"What the hell!" Zoro shouted, exposing his teeth in a snarl.

Sanji took out a cigarette. His eyebrow twitched, but he resisted the urge to hit Jael. And it took a lot of restraint not to pummel the man. Shoving the cigarette between his lips, "You're going to press that button or else we are." he warned.

"And if I don't give you the necklace?"

In that moment, two arms appeared from Jael's body and he was pulled into an uncomfortable position. He opened and closed his mouth for words. When he couldn't manage to speak, he looked to his left and then to his right. When he caught sight of Robin, he shook his head in irritation. "What are you?! And you know, this would be a lot hotter if you weren't trying to break my back!"

"Oh Robin-Chwan! You are the best!" Sanji swooned, dancing around to her.

Zoro crossed his arms. "Coward."

"I'm not doing this for myself!" Jael shouted, growling at the swordsman.

Mae groaned and pushed herself into a seated position. "If we press the button, then you won't be the one responsible for the slaves." She mumbled.

"Oh, you're awake!" Chopper brightened up before jumping all around. "Ah- you need to rest! Don't get up! Just lay down!"

Mae scrunched her face at the sudden outburst and then held a hand out to reassure Chopper. "I'm fine."

Grabbing the necklace from Jael's pocket, Usopp gripped it tight. "Mae's right!"

"Wait-" Pushing urgently against the arms with no success, Jael strained. "I wouldn't do that if I were you!"

Zoro narrowed his eyes, "And why not?"

"If someone wearing the necklace pushes the button, then the collar will explode. Only people who aren't wearing one can release them."

At Jael's words, Usopp's eyes flew open and he threw the necklace over his shoulder. "I could have taken our heads off?! Why didn't you say something before?! I was about to press the button!"

"What button?" Luffy chimed in, coming around the wall and catching the necklace.

Collapsing to his knees once Robin let him go, Jael groaned. "That button, don't press that button!"

Luffy looked down at the necklace in his hand. "This button?" Inattentively, he pressed his thumb against it.

Everyone stood in silence.

Within seconds, the collar around Mae and Usopp's neck unclasped with a quiet click and dropped to the ground.

Jael put his hands on his head, "Are you kidding me?!"

Usopp stood tall and welcomed the abrupt energy that washed over him. Throwing his head back with a grin, he rested his hands on his hips. "I feel a million times stronger! I'm a new man!"

Mae shifted her shoulder and attempted to lift her arm. To no avail, it collapsed back down at her side. The pain wasn't unreasonable and it was now bareable. Releasing a breath, a satisfied smile crept to her lips. Even though she couldn't heal her broken bones with a quick fix, having her strength and power back was a relief.

In miliseconds, her arm was surrounded by snow, the cool element numbing the pain away.

"Wha- What are you people!?" Jael exclaimed, watching as snow traveled from the tips of Mae's fingers to her shoulder.

"We're devil fruit eaters." Luffy grinned, stretching his cheek.

"That's disgusting." Jael commented, "And not normal at all."

"Aren't one of the elders devil fruit eaters?" Usopp mumbled thoughtfully, cupping his chin. "Shouldn't you be used to it?"

Jael looked up in thought. "Well, actually they all are."

"What?!" Usopp shouted. "How many are there again?!"

Mae wiped the crusted blood from the corner of her mouth. "I don't care if there are five-hundred or more. I'm going to beat every one of their asses."

"That's a big jump in numbers." Jael muttered, counting his fingers. "There are four of them."

Sanji blew out a puff of smoke. "And they're probably on the look out now that thousands of slaves are free."

Franky scratched at his head. "Can someone tell us what's going on?"

Mae turned around and wiggled her back. "Before we explain anything, can someone unzip me?"

A smirk crossed Jael's lips and he moved behind Mae, "I don't mind undressing-"

With a quick foot, Sanji kicked him into another near by wall. "Don't you lay a hand on her!"

Jael climbed out of the rubble, overdramtically clawing at Sanji. "Stop kicking me!"

Nami rolled her eyes at the two and moved behind Mae, taking a hold of the zipper. "Let me help you."


	19. (XIX) The Luminous Island Part 12

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **U . P . D . A . T . E .**

Thank you for the patience everyone! I enjoyed writing this chapter and I promise to pump the next one out quick! Especially since... I've already written half of it. :)

Please excuse any mistakes written in this chapter. My spelling and grammar check isn't working and even though I know how to spell and proof-read, that thing can come in handy! Especially with catching silly errors!

* * *

Inside of the South court's tower, Mae stood behind its entrance door with Zoro at her side. The threshold was the only thing that separated them from the main roads of NuKemet.

Opening the door just enough to peer out, Mae pressed her body close to it and she placed her eye against the crack. When a scream filled the air from outside, she staggered back with surprise. Regaining herself though, she stepped forward and pushed herself back against the door. Looking through the crack again, she watched as a group of slaves stumbled by. Close behind them were guards who held their swords high, shouting demands.

"What do you see?" Zoro asked, nudging his head toward her and stepping around a fallen vase.

She pulled back and rubbed her palm against her forehead with stress. "Turmoil. Everyone is going crazy."

It was clear that she was irritated, but he couldn't understand why she would let the situation bother her so much. She barely knew the people on the island. Dismissing his thoughts, Zoro took a subtle glance to his right when he caught sight of something move. It was quick and he couldn't tell what it was, but he made a mental note that they weren't alone.

"Let's get going."

Mae gave a firm nod. "There's an elevator somewhere. I haven't been to this tower, so I'm not sure where it is."

With a scowl, "How'd we get stuck with this mission? I'm a swordsman, not a messenger." He complained.

Breaking her attention from what she thought was a moving shadow in the distance, Mae looked at Zoro. "Someone has to do it. Besides, Ma' knows our faces."

"She met Usopp."

"He broke her floor, she wouldn't give him-" Mae faltered and jerked her head to the left, "-Did you see that?"

"It's been circling us for a while now. Whatever it is, it's keeping its distance. Let's just get this over with and if it decides to confront us," Zoro placed a hand on this hilt of his sword, "I'm ready for a fight."

Mae licked her lips and nodded. Zoro was right, they had more important things to worry about. "I think it's this way. Come on."

With a haste step, she took the initiative and headed down the hallway. And She made sure to lead them away from the mysterious prowler that kept in the shadows.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?"

"I already told you, I don't know where the elevator is."

Decelerating into a slow jog, Zoro came to a sudden stop, jabbing his thumb towards a door. "Then why aren't we checking behind doors?" he asked.

Mae turned around and continued to gallop backwards. "I'm assuming that it's in the same spot as the one in the East tower."

With a grunt, Zoro picked up his pace and started to run again. They kept running for a good while when, in the distance, another person appeared behind them. For a couple of minutes, Zoro disregarded the person and kept moving down the hallway. But as he raced down another hall, he drew one of his swords and stretched his forearm out. "It's coming."

Mae looked behind them, but she couldn't discern who was on their trail. "I don't see anyone."

Coming to an abrupt stop, Zoro turned on his heel and faced the empty hall head on. "Whoever you are, come out. We know you're there." He demanded.

Stretching her hand out, Mae grabbed onto a pillar and swung herself around. In that second, she caught sight of a shadow lurking above Zoro.

"Above you!" She shouted, and without another thought, built a wall of hardened snow around him.

The shadow came smashing down onto the shelter that she made. It barely made a crack, and it ended up rolling off and onto the ground.

"What the-" Zoro's voice shouted from inside of the snow. "What did you do!?"

Hunching down low, "I didn't know what else to do." She said, waving to him through a small opening in the shield.

"Why'd you go and do that!" Climbing out of the hole, Zoro dusted flakes of snow off of his shoulder.

Mae opened to her mouth to retaliate, but instead jumped to her right, narrowly avoiding a needle that was thrown in her direction.

As another needle was thrown toward Zoro, she rose her hand up and entrapped it in a blanket of snow. It then froze and dropped to the ground. Moving to the object, Mae picked it up and twirled it in her hand while looking around their surroundings. "It's a-"

"Poisonous needle! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! Poisonous to anyone it pierces or," A snicker came from behind them, "touches!"

It was Zoro's turn to deflect an attack. With steadfast foot work, he raised his swords up and blocked five needles that were thrusted towards them.

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! I'll have you two in a world of nightmares and confusion before you know it!"

Tossing the frozen needle behind her, "We don't have time for you." Mae sighed.

A snorted escaped Zoro. "What are you?" he asked, looking at the inhuman creature.

The creature appeared to be a man, but he also had the traits of a bee. With bright yellow locks of hair and beady black eyes, he also had six arms in counting and an extended abdomen from the back with a stinger that was dripping with an unknown toxin.

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!" The creature reached back. "I'm a Bee-Man! Human-Bee a- Bee a human a-

"You don't know what you are, do you?" Zoro asked, eyeing it.

Mae scrunched her face, "You're gross."

"You're gross!" The creature sounded insulted. "And I know what I am!"

Zoro raised a brow, "Then what are you?"

"I'm a Bee-Man, I'm a- Quit asking me that! It doesn't matter. I'm here to take care of you on the order of my master! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"

"Master?" Mae positioned herself in defense, preparing for another attack. "Who's your master?"

"Emiliee! Master Emiliee said you'd be coming and with the guards outside taking care of the slaves you set free, I've been sent to take- Stop asking so many questions! I don't have time for them!"

Smirking, Zoro fixed his stance.

Mae looked at him and then back at the creature, "Where's Emiliee now?"

"She's underground cleaning up the mess you made!"

"And, how did she get there?" With a subtle grin, Mae looked at Zoro and nodded her head toward him. As if to say, 'Let's see if he answers.'.

The creature raised three of its arms and pointed at a large door. "Well, she took the South wing elevator! It's just through that door- Wait a minute-I said stop asking me questions!"

Saluting, "All right Zoro, you take care of this pest and I'll meet you down there!" Mae said, taking a sharp turn from her spot and moving toward the door that the creature was still pointing to.

As she reached the door, a sense washed over her and she turned around to face the five stingers that were headed in her direction.

Landing in front of Mae, Zoro cut the stingers up and sent the pieces in multiple directions. "You're as reckless as Luffy."

Grinning, "I figured you'd have my back and I was right." She said.

"Don't always count on it."

"I'm going to always count on-" Mae paused when the creature started to laugh and dance around in a circle.

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! It was a direct hit!"

Mae looked over Zoro's shoulder at the creature, "You didn't hit me, moron." She sneered.

"Just go. I'll take care of him." Zoro insisted, drawing his swords in preparation for a long needed fight.

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! I've been waiting for a challenge!"

A buzz rolled up the creature's throat when he took notice of Zoro's impatient expression. "Am I annoying you? Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"

"You talk too much." Zoro pressed his foot against the ground and used it for support as he swung his sword in the direction of the creature, slicing into the floor.

"You missed! You missed!" He chanted, appearing from behind a nearby wall. Reaching back, he snatched his stinger and tore it from his abdomen. When he did this, another stinger appeared and he repeated removing the stinger over and over again until he had a one in each hand.

Thrusting a single sword up, Zoro deflected the six stingers that were launched at him. Turning to his head, he looked at the wall next to him and the six needles that penetrated it. "How many of those do you have in your ass?!"

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! Enough to take you down!" Reaching behind him, he grabbed another stinger. Mucus dripped from the opening, and soon another stinger replaced the old one. "Have you ever fought a six armed swordsman?! Because you're about to!" he shouted, collecting another six stingers in his hands.

Zoro grunted, shifting his foot work, "Yes."

"Yes?!" Falling to the ground in dismay, the creature looked toward the ceiling dramatically, "Yes?!"

Taking advantage of the creature's own distraction, Zoro advanced forward and raised his swords. With a swift jump, he pushed his feet against the open air around him and sprung forward. Swinging his swords down, he landed a solid blow.

"Mi-Ha Mi-AAAH!"

The creature yelped and screamed, looking down on either side of him with urgency and disbelief. "What have you done?!"

Sheathing his swords, "It looks like I'm going to have to wait for that challenge." Zoro muttered.

"You cut my arms off?! My arms?! That's dispicable! Mi-AAAAH!"

Standing beside the creature, Zoro gave him a side glance. "They'll grow back."

"Grow back?! What do you think I am?! A lizard?! It's not like growing back a tail!"

When Zoro went to speak, a moan escaped him instead and he collapsed to the ground on his knees. Reaching one hand to his head, he stared at his right hand that was pressed into the ground. That's when he took notice to a small, black shard lodged into the back of it. Reaching for the object with his left hand, he pinched it between his fingers and removed it. Mucus leaked out of the small hole that it left behind.

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! Finally! It is taking effect!"

"What?"

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! Like I said earlier," The creature grew dark, a smirk crossing his lips, "It's a direct hit."


	20. (XX) The Luminous Island Part 13

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

Just a short chapter. Hey, sometimes a chapter can be short, right? Like Chapter XIX. Now that was a short one.

Anyways... Slowly, but surely, I'm gonna push Zoro and Mae toward each other. You'll see more between them as the story continues. Hey, I even promise a kiss eventually. ;)

I'll be the first to admit that I need to work on fighting scenes. It's easy to picture them in your head, but writing them down is another thing. I either write them too long and make them boring, or too short and too quick! Here's to practice and your support!

Have a great Monday!

* * *

Mae stood back and prepared for a wave of guards to rush into the elevator when it reached its destination. But when the pressurized doors released and shifted open, it exposed an empty room.

With a breath of relief, she stepped out of the elevator. As soon as she took her second step though, her foot sank into something condensed and sticky.

"What the-" Confused, she rose her foot, a gold substance clinging to the bottom of her shoe. "Honey?"

Shaking the honey from her foot, she took a step back and looked around the room. Puddles of it were collected on the ground in other spots. And that wasn't all that she noticed. She also noticed that unlike the plain white elevator chamber in the East tower, the one Reih had taken her to, this one was decorated with plants and flowers of all different kinds. It also had a thick aroma in the air, causing her to feel nauseous.

She was never a fan of strong smelling scents.

Pinching her nose between her fingers, Mae advanced forward and entered into the next room. It was an office just like Reih's. Except his space was tidy, and this room was a disaster with items strewed all over the ground. She dismissed the mess though and drew her attention to one of the windows. Moving over to it, careful not to make a sound, she began to work at the latches that kept it closed.

It didn't take long to unhinge it and when the last secure snapped, the window flew open with a loud thud.

Wary, Mae looked over her shoulder. She half expected to see at least one guard rush into the room, or Emiliee. But she guessed that the guards were taking care of the slaves above ground and Emiliee had her own things to take care of.

Returning her eyes to the window, she peeked outside of it and looked down. The drop was considerable, but it didn't compare to other jumps that she had made in the past. Taking in a slow breath, Mae released it and brought her legs over the window's frame. With one final glance over her shoulder, she slid her body forward and jumped.

Landing on the ground with a soft thump, the neatly trimmed grass flattening under her weight, she took a side step from view and hid behind a large, spewing fountain. Careful not to be seen, she leaned around it and observed the area. The only thing that came into sight were two women. They were walking around the gardens, spraying and grooming the flowers that bloomed along one of the many roads.

Mae explored the rest of the garden with her eyes. If she wanted to leave the tower grounds without being seen, it was going to take stealth. The roads led in different directions and would be a waste of time to follow. And not only that, Mae knew that she would be easily spotted.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn't take notice to the guards that were roaming near by. However, when she heard a rustle of leaves, she brought herself back around the fountain and between two large bushes that rested along the tower's wall. The moment her back touched the cold concrete, a hand clasped over her mouth and she was forced to her knees and on the ground.

Alarmed, Mae changed her temperature and became as cold as ice, forming snow at her feet. She then used swift movements and shoved an elbow into the culprit's stomach.

A groan escaped them, but they weren't phased by the blow. "Stay low."

With a look of surprise, Mae released the snow from her hold and turned to stare at the person. "Zoro?"

"Quiet." Zoro didn't acknowledge Mae with eye contact, keeping a watchful eye ahead and listening intently to the world around them.

Leaves cracked under mild foot steps that neared their position. At the same time, the two leaned forward and looked through the branches, watching as five guards rushed by.

One of them pointed a finger straight ahead. "I saw something!"

"This way men, we can't let them escape!" Another one replied, pushing forward.

Soon the rumpus of foot steps passed and then disappeared in the distance. Once the coast was clear, Mae shot Zoro a look, "I'm surprised you found me. Usopp told me that you're known for getting lost."

"It was easy with the trail you left behind."

Mae looked down at her foot. With a groan, she began to rub the sole of her shoe into the ground, trying to remove the honey. How could she had been so careless? When the last of the honey rubbed off, she looked over at Zoro. "What happened with the pest? I mean, you literally were fighting him less than twenty minutes ago."

Zoro paused and in that moment, his mind rushed back to his encounter with the creature.

* * *

 _The ground beneath Zoro began to warp into darkness. He attempted to clear his vision of the mess with two hard blinks. And when that didn't clear it up, he looked up from the floor and stared hard at the empty hall in front of him._

 _The world was falsifying and contorting before his eyes._

 _"It's already in your system! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! You took my arms, but I took your sanity! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"_

 _Reaching a hand to the wall for support, Zoro forced his body to stand back up. He wasn't weak, but he was dizzy._

 _"It won't be long! My poison will take over your body and you'll be lost forever in madness! Mi-Ha Mi-ha!"_

 _With one more firm blink, Zoro lifted his head. The world around him came rushing back and everything went back to normal._ _Standing up straight, he let a smirk cross his lips. "I guess your 'poison' didn't work."_

 _"Oh, but it did! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! In the beginning it comes and goes, but in the end, it lasts for eternity!"_

 _"Shut up already." Zoro thrusted his sword in the direction of the creature, pressing the blade under his chin._

 _From the corner of his eye, he took a side glance. What he saw caused him to stumble back and recollect his sword. His eyes wavered with uncertainty at the sight. In disbelief he looked down and roughly shook his head. But when he looked back up, he came face to face with a certain somebody._

 _"Kuina?"_

* * *

"Zoro," Mae snapped her fingers in front of him, "Zoro?"

"What?" He bit, waving her hand away.

"Oi," Shoving a hand into his chest, "don't swat at me. You spaced out." She grunted.

Zoro disregarded her comment, looking through the bushes, "We need to get going."

"We're going to have to go through the tunnels to get-" Mae paused. When she realized that she still hand her hand on his chest, she pulled it back with red cheeks. "-To get back to Ma'."

Standing up, Zoro pushed his hand against the bushes and moved them out of the way. "Let's get moving then."

Mae looked up at him. Following his lead, she stood up. "Right."

The two of them took precautions and made sure that no one was around before they moved out of the bushes. They took advantage of the large fountains and massive trees that grew, hiding behind them every few feet. There weren't a lot of people in the garden, which made it easy for them to get around. The only thing that they had to avoid were the guards that kept running by, making circles around them.

"They're really persistent." Mae muttered, leaning close to Zoro and against a tree.

As another pair of guards hustled by them and into the distance, he looked down at her and gave a stiff nod. "They're gone."

Just before Zoro could step out from behind the tree, Mae reached out and took a hold of his wrist, yanking him back to her side. "Wait-"

Her voice was in a low whisper, almost too quiet for him to hear. But just as her words reached his ears, a creature, like the one upstairs, came buzzing by.

The buzzing then stopped, and the creature stayed just inches away from them on the other side of the tree.

Mae inhaled a quiet breath and buried her face in Zoro's arm. Seconds passed before the buzzing started up again and the creature went off in the opposite direction.

"He's gone."

Dusting her legs off nonchalantly, as if she hadn't just used Zoro as a shield, Mae nodded, "I know. Let's hurry up."

Reaching a pair of tall bushes, "You know, you're going to have to fight eventually." Zoro stated, kneeling down beside her.

"Yeah, but why waste time?" Mae whispered, looking around the bush. "We have more important things to do right now."

"It looks like you were scared, not trying to save time." He smirked, following her and moving from the bush to a field of tall flowers.

Shoving Zoro, "I wasn't scared." Mae argued, climbing through the flowers.

"Right." He snorted.

"Get down!" Without warning, Mae slammed into him and brought them both to the ground.

He landed with a groan, but when he opened his mouth, she shoved a hand over it.

Moments later a buzzing came from just outside of the flowers. "Find them! Emiliee is expecting them in her chair room at once! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Don't make me do what I did to your friends! Mi-Ha Mi-Ha! I have no problem with poisoning you too!"

"Y-Yes, sir!"

Once the short conversation concluded and the two left, Mae lifted herself up, still pinning Zoro beneath her. "That was close. I thought you took care of that pest?"

Zoro didn't respond. His eyes were narrowed and staring intently at the tattoo that ran along Mae's waist.

Turning her attention to him, she inclined her head to the side and poked his forehead. "Hey, are you okay? I didn't crush you, did I?"

Without warning, he rolled her off of him and stood up, drawing his sword and pointing it in her direction.

"W-Woah! What are you doing?" Mae hissed in a low whisper, raising her hands up in defense.

"What are you doing here, Akainu?"

Bewildered, Mae turned her head. She half expected to see her uncle standing behind her. She didn't though. And when she looked back at Zoro, she acknowledge the fact that he was staring at her and no one else.

Her mind started to race and she held a hand up. "What are you talking about, Zoro?"

Without a word, he charged forward and swung his sword.

Quick to avoid his attack, Mae jumped back and watched as flowers were mowed down. "H-Hey! What are you doing?! You're going to get us caught!"

Separated from the world around him, he grunted and jumped into the air, slicing another attack toward her.

This time, instead of dodging him, a wall of snow was built between them to deflect the attack. The wall wasn't tough enough to hold another attack though and in seconds, it shattered and Zoro came charging through.

Snow started to cover the ground and in milliseconds it surrounded Zoro's feet, preventing him from stepping any further.

Mae stumbled back and pressed herself up against the large fence that separated the tower from the slave's town. With realization that they reached their destination, she swung a hand over her shoulder, "This is it Zoro, this is the fence. We made it, now stop playing games and let's-" She paused. Her eyes opened wide when he hunched forward with all three of his swords held in position. She knew right then that he was about to do a ranged attack.

With only a foot step to spare, she shoved herself to the side and built another shield. This time she made sure to layer it. And even though it was thick and sturdy, it wasn't enough against his strength.

The layers cracked under the pressure of his attack. And as the wall shattered, Mae was tossed aside and thrown through the fence.

Groaning, she raised herself up and wiped the blood from her mouth. "You ass hole." She muttered while forcing herself into a seated position. Bringing herself to ignore the pain in her arm, she looked at Zoro and with a swift gesture, enwrapped a good amount of snow around his legs and up his body.

She readied to lay into him when all of the sudden the anger in his eyes disappeared and he reached a hand to his head looking around, "What happened?"

"What's wrong with you?!" Mae snapped quietly, climbing over the broken fence and releasing the snow from around him, "I'm surprised we weren't caught with the ruckus you made!"

"You... Akainu-" Zoro shook his head, "He was just here!"

"No, he wasn't. It was just _me_. You were attacking _me_." Mae replied bitterly, stressing the word 'me'.

"Damnit." Zoro raised his hand to his face and looked at it. "I thought it was out of my system."

"Wait, what? What was out of your system?"

"That stupid thing poisoned me earlier."

Mae let her shoulders drop, "And you didn't bother to tell me?!"

"I thought it was out of my system!"

"Apparently it wasn't because you just accused me of being my uncle and tried to kill me!"

Suddenly another person appeared in the distance, clapping their hands firmly while staring at the two pirates through the freshly mowed flowers.

Mae tore her angry gaze away from Zoro and shifted her eyes towards the newcomer. When she caught site of who it was, more snow instantly gathered on the ground and a blizzard started to form in the sky. The only word she found herself muttering was a soft, "You."

Shifting his feet in the snow, Zoro settled his hand on the hilt of his sword and kept a steady gaze on the person, "You know him?"

As snow started to drift from the sky and onto the ground, Mae nodded. "His name is Reih and he's one of the Elders."


	21. (XXI) The Luminous Island Part 14

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

Thank you for the messages and positive feed back. :)

You guys are AWESOME!

This one was supposed to be posted a while ago, but it was a no go due to circumstances. Things happen though, right?

Your patience is truly appreciated. Really, thanks guys.

Now...

I've had a few people message me to leave feedback (criticizing) notes on their stories.

» : As I have said on my page :

I will never leave a criticizing comment on a story, but rather send a message.  
You should know that I am not one to criticize though, because I know that I have my own writing to work on.  
So in the end, I really just read to enjoy a story and I will leave fun comments or comments of appreciation.

\- But if you insist, I'll find a spelling error and you can find ALL the spelling errors I make... Because let's face it, I make a ton.

Anyways...

Have a wonderful rest of your week everyone!

Again, you guys are AWESOME!

* * *

"Maybe you should just give up?"

Zoro held his swords upward, holding back the two crystal sabers that shaped from Reih's wrists. "Never."

"You'll pay for what you did to these people." Mae snarled.

Reih chuckled, jerking one of his swords from Zoro's hold and pointing it towards Mae, "No, I won't."

Mae raised her arms out on either side of her, solid snow forming in the palm of her hands. All the while she did this, snow began to build around her feet.

"I don't have time for a snowball fight." Reih sighed, his body taking the form of solid crystal.

Jerking her hands forward, Mae released daggers in Reih's direction, "You'll pay," she shouted, throwing another set, "I swear to it!"

Zoro pushed his swords against Reih's and jumped back when the shards came thrusting in their direction. "Watch where you aim those!" He shouted, baring his teeth at Mae.

A smirk crossed Reih's lips, "This will be easier than I expected." He decided, the snow shattering when it touched his solid form.

"Don't count on it." Mae growled, appearing behind him without notice, having slipped through the snow. Embracing Reih from behind, she let her body temperature drop to an unbearable degree. As she did this, his crystalized body began to crack from the direct touch.

Looking over his shoulder, "You're persistent." Reih noted and before Mae could pull back, shards of crystal shot from his back and pierced right through her stomach.

Zoro shifted in his stance, his eyes firmly set on the crystals that stabbed her body like a skewer.

Mae's mouth shifted into a frown and her entire body misted away into a pile of snow on the ground.

Dusting snow off of his shoulder, "You'll have to do better than that." Reih taunted.

Mae appeared behind Zoro, scratching at her stomach. "That was close."

Zoro held his sword out, preventing her from taking a step froward, "Let me handle him. You need to find Ma'."

Mae looked at Zoro with disbelief, pursing her lips tight together. It was her first real fight against someone. And it was thrilling. Reluctant, she opened her mouth to speak, but was caught off guard when Reih came rushing toward them.

"This isn't time for conversation." The man snarled, clashing his swords with Zoro's.

Mae stumbled back, looking between the two, "Are you sure-"

"Just go." Zoro bit out, his swords shaking under the pressure. "I've been waiting for a challenge."

Reih smirked, "So have I."

* * *

"How'd I get stuck with you?" Jael sighed, sneaking around the Kingdom with Sanji in tow.

Ignoring him, Sanji continued to work his way through the alleys. They had an objective to complete and he wasn't about to let a whining man get in the way.

Another sigh escaped Jael, and this time it was more dramatic, "Couldn't I have been put with the chicks with the big-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Sanji's foot came heaving for his head. Quick to avoid it though, he ducked down and let his foot connect with the wall behind him.

"Ha!" Jael hummed smugly, "You missed!"

"Next time I won't." Sanji muttered, pushing passed him and down another alley.

* * *

"Calm down! We aren't here to hurt- Ow!" Franky jumped to the side when barrels were thrown at him.

Robin shook her head at her crew mate, "You're scaring them." She said before crossing her arms over her torso.

Suddenly hands appeared from all over the floor and it wasn't long until she had twenty slaves held by the ankles.

When the slaves were taken into her hold, they began to panic and reach down to fight and claw at the hands.

"What are these things?!"

"Hands?!"

"Where did they come from!?"

"Let us go!"

"Monsters!"

"Devils!"

"We're going to be swallowed up alive!"

Franky grinned, "Super! You caught them Robin!" Pausing, he straightened up and with an ironic expression, he jabbed his thumb toward the group, "I think you're the one scaring them though."

* * *

Brook took a step forward and finished the last verse of his song. As he bowed down on one knee with his head hung low, a burst of fireworks rocketed into the sky and the audience roared loud.

Their earsplitting cheers filled his heart with pride. Showing gratitude to his them, he stood back up and began to bow and blow kisses to them.

From behind Brook a woman appeared. She was a petite woman with tangled black hair. "What a show, what a show!" She voiced, a microphone pressed against her lower lip.

Brook turned around and acknowledge the woman, moving to the side in order to let her take center stage. However, the woman made sure to stand beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. It was a stretch for her, due to the fact that she was exceedingly short and he was extremely tall.

"Wasn't this man just wonderful?!" She shouted happily, waving her free hand towards the audience.

The crowd broke out cheering again, chanting for more.

"Brook!"

"More!"

"Brook!"

"More!"

"Brook!"

Clearing her throat into the microphone, the woman held her hand up once more, "I would suggest an encore-"

Before she could finish, the people rose back up into a wild cheer, demanding another show.

Eyeing the crowd, "-I would suggest an encore, but due to an unfortunate circumstance, that won't be possible!" she articulated, making sure that she could be heard over their nonsense.

And she was heard. As her words reached their ears, the audience's cheering simmered down. Confusion and disappointment washed over them and not long after, murmurs began to spread.

Tightening her hold on Brook's shoulder, keeping him in place, the woman raised her head high, "For your safety, there are five guards stationed at every entrance. Make sure that you stay within these premisses."

A wave of panic washed over everyone.

"Until the okay is given, please do not leave the court yard."

People started to spin in short circles, looking over their shoulders and conversing rumors with each other. While watching the people swarm in panic, a subtle movement appeared in Brook's peripheral view. With furrowed features, he turned his eyes to the right of him. It was then when he noticed three familiar faces.

"Usopp? Chopper? Nami?" He mumbled to himself. They were peering around the curtains that hung down from the beams, waving their hands fervently at him while mouthing words.

Leaning back just enough to get a better view of them, he mouthed 'what?'.

Usopp pushed between Chopper and Nami, pointing a finger at the woman. 'She knows who you are.' He mouthed.

Confused, Brook looked down at the woman and then back at his crew mates with a shrug.

With an over exaggerated breath, Nami shoved Usopp down and began to make dramatic hand signs 'she - knows - who - you - are'.

Brook scratched at his afro and gave another shrug. He wasn't good at reading lips and he never had been.

A smirked formed at the corner of the woman's mouth. "I think your friends are trying to tell you that I know who you are."

* * *

When Mae made her way out of the garden and onto the roads, a couple of guards moved in front of her, holding their weapons high.

"Where do ya' think you're going?"

"Our boss ain't done with you yet."

Groaning, she rolled her head back. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Get yer' pretty self back behind those fences."

"Yeah. Get going."

Straightening her head back right, a crooked smile crossed her lips. It wasn't the fight she was hoping for, but it was an opportunity to try out a new move that she had thought of earlier. She would have used it sooner, but Zoro seemed to take every fight. And she wasn't about to argue with him.

With one swift movement, snow covered the ground and wrapped up the men's legs, binding them in their spot. Taking the form of snow, she wisped forward, circling around them until their bodies were covered from head to toe. When she made sure that they were engulfed entirely, she came to a stop. Dusting her hands off with a grin, she stood in front of them and observed her work of art.

The men were now in the shape of snowmen.

With a simple shrug, she leaned forward and drew expressions over their snow covered faces, "Enjoy the nap, my frosty friends."

* * *

"Where would an elder be?" Luffy asked himself, running along the roads, avoiding the mess of guards and slaves running amuck. Scratching at his head, he made a sharp turn around a corner. In that second he came colliding with another person, collapsing onto the ground.

Laying on his back, Brox let out a groan, "Watch where you're going!"

Luffy rubbed at the knot on his head, "You're the one who ran into me!"

"What are you talking about? You just came running around that wall! I wasn't even moving!" Brox shouted, shaking his head while propping himself up on his good arm.

"Who are you anyways? Why are you hiding?" Luffy asked, standing up from the floor.

Dusting his own clothes off and standing up, Brox pointed a finger toward the open roads, "I'm trying to stay out of sight."

Luffy looked over his shoulder, "Are you one of the slaves?"

"I'm no one's slave." Brox growled, "But-"

"Do you know where I can get something to eat?"

Opening his mouth wide, "How can you eat at a time like this?! Don't you see what's going on?!" Brox exclaimed, throwing his hand in the air.

"Yeah, but I can't fight on an empty stomach." Luffy mumbled, holding his stomach as it growled.

Brox rolled his eyes, "You're going to have to wait. Everything's closed."

Moaning, Luffy dropped his shoulders in disappointment. "Really?"

"Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I'm going to be the next King of the Pirates!"

"Pirate?" Brox shook his head, "Then you know Mae?"

"Yeah, she's on my crew," Luffy nodded, "how do you know her?"

"I just know her." Brox said vaguely, then gesture toward him, "Why were you running?"

"I was looking for an elder."

"An elder?" Taking a step back, "Why?" he asked cautiously.

Luffy fixed his straw hat, looking down at Brox, "To kick their ass."

* * *

"GN six," Reih called out, jumping to narrowly avoid one of Zoro's attacks.

Wiping the sweat that beaded on his forehead, "Already calling for help?" Zoro asked, his tone haughty.

Reih ignored Zoro. Raising his attention to a man who stood in the distance, "I'd like for you to follow the girl." He ordered. "Its better than having you stand there doing nothing."

"Sir." The man stood proud, his arms firm at his sides.

"I don't trust those petty guards I sent earlier." Reih turned his eyes to Zoro. "Their worthless piece of shits, really. I don't know why we hired them. Our GN soldiers are more efficient."

Zoro scowled, "Shut up already."

GN six took a step forward, "Do you want me to exterminate her?" His voice was almost robotic.

"No," Reih waved a dismissing hand, "No. Just bring her back. I'm not done with her."

At his words, Zoro rushed toward him, "This isn't her fight." He said before thrusting his swords downward and launching an attack in his direction.

Avoiding the attack once more, "You're not one for sharing, are you?" Reih mused, taunting him.

"All you've been doing is jumping around. There's nothing to share. Why don't you actually fight?"

"I'm just having some fun before the real battle begins." Reih shrugged carelessly, a sadistic smirk lifting at the corner of his mouth.

When Reih noticed that GN six hadn't moved, he let a low growl roll up his throat, "You can go now."

The soldier nodded firmly, raising his hand in a salute, "Sir."

* * *

Mae held a chipped cup between her hands and took a long sip of the warm water that she was provided. It was dirty, but she was thirsty and because of that, she pushed past the coarse taste.  
After a mouthful was forced down, she held the cup in her lap and stared at the woman in front of her. It seemed like it had been years since she had seen Ma', but in fact, it hadn't been that long; Even though she looked like she had taken a serious jump in age.

Ma' sat down on the couch of her living room, her heavy body breaking it lower to the ground. "I went out of my way to get you out, and you come back."

"There's a reason for that." Mae sighed, looking down.

Leaning backwards, "A reason? I don't have time for reasons." Ma' sighed heavily, "I've got to find YeVanna, she's been trying to take over Brox's work since he's been gone."

Mae straightened up, "But she's okay, right?"

"Mhm." Ma' raised a pudgy hand and waved it around in a careless motion, "Yes, of course. You know, with a tone like that, you could scare a mother into thinking harm is lurking just outside of her home."

"That's just it," Mae shook her head, reaching up and taking a handful of her hair into a tight grip, "There is danger out there. Ma', I came here to tell you-"

A sudden knock at the door interrupted Mae.

Looking at each other, the two women sat in silence. When another knock pounded against the door, this time more rough, Mae's heart began to race. Had she been found by more guards? And did she just bring a mess into Ma's home?

"Ignore it." Ma' whispered, breaking Mae from her thoughts, "I've been late on paying a few people back. They'll go away soon."

With a sigh of relief, Mae slouched forward. But even with Ma's reassuring words, the continuous knocks left her on edge.

"Now," playing with a stray of strings on the couch, "what were you saying about danger?" Ma' asked.


	22. (XXII) The Luminous Island Part 15

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

Hey, look! I updated on time. Actually, earlier than on time!

Shocker, shocker.

This chapter is pretty short too, but I promise the next one won't be!

(You can find update dates on my page)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

P.S. I received some more comments and I have to say, they made me happy. :)

You guys are the best!

* * *

Ma' kept a steady stare on the ceiling, processing the information that Mae had just shared with her. How could a life that she has known, that many others have known, be a lie? It was unexpected, and yet it wasn't surprising. It was now clear to Ma' as to why her husband appeared to be carrying a burden. It was because he was in fact, carrying one. He had to go to work every day knowing the truth. And he had to come home to his family every night unable to speak that truth.

It pained Ma' to the bone, realizing that her husband had so much hanging off of his shoulders. And now that she knew, she couldn't hold him and reassure him that everything would be okay. And she'd never be able to.

Mae fiddled with the cup between her hands, tilting it from side to side and watching as the dirty water swished around. Clearing her throat, "It's already been set in motion." She said, breaking the silence between them.

"And Brox," A puff of air escaped Ma' and worry wrinkled her face, "where is he? Did you see him?"

Combing her fingers through her hair stressfully, Mae hesitated, "Y-Yes."

Ma' leaned forward eagerly, "And?"

"He's okay." Mae didn't have the heart to share the gruesome details of what he had and what he was undergoing.

Relief washed over Ma' as she pressed back into the couch, her arms dangled at her sides, "Oh thank goodness."

Knowing that their time was limited, "Can you promise me that you'll-"

Ma' raised her hand up, silencing Mae, "I promise. I'll take care of everything down here."

A smile tugged at the corned of Mae's mouth, "I know that everyone will be more willing to hear it from you."

"They'll be willing to hear, but I'm not sure that they'll be willing to comprehend it."

Ma' grunted as she lifted herself up, "Before you head out, I have something for you."

Mae stood up as well, leaving the cup on the floor. "You have something for me?" Her eyebrows furrowed, "What is it?" She asked.

Not bothering to explain, Ma' stepped over to a smaller door that rested near the front door. Opening it, she flicked through a few items of clothing. It took her a minute, but she was able to find what she was looking for, pulling out a long sleeve sheer duster coat.

"I think you might want this."

Looking down at her torn attire, a blush crossed Mae's cheeks. She forgot that she was walking around half naked. "Thanks."

"Now," Ma' handed her the peach colored coat, "it might get hot, but at least you'll be covered. Whether or not these men need help, their still men."

A laugh escaped Mae, "It's perfect." Pulling the coat over her body, buttoning two of the buttons in the center, Mae did a small spin, "It fits."

"I used to fit into that." Ma' laughed, "But that was a long time ago." Pausing, she dropped her eyes to the floor, "It was for special nights. My husband, well, he never told me where he got it. He just showed up one anniversary and had it wrapped up in the most beautiful paper I'd ever seen. It's the nicest thing you'd find down here."

Mae's throat dried out and her words caught in a tangled mess. Brushing her fingers along the fabric, "Are you sure-"

"I'm positive. Now, you better go."

Mae nodded, taking a step to the front door, "Thanks again." Grabbing onto the handle, she stared down at it briefly before turning back around to face Ma', "Are you-"

"Go."

With a faint laugh, Mae nodded once more. "Be safe." She said, keeping a steady stare on the woman as she twisted the door knob and opened it.

Ma' opened her mouth to speak, however her words were stolen by a breath of air; her eyes moving shockingly from Mae to the front door.

* * *

"This way!" Brox limped in a steady run, leading Luffy down a deserted road.

Following after the young boy, "Are you sure you know where you're going?" Luffy asked, looking over his shoulder.

Jumping over garbage that littered the streets, "I do, now come on!"

Brox fought the pain that ravished across his body. His arm was torn from the socket and his face was swollen and bruised. Even though it was hard to move, he didn't let it stop him and he continued to push forward. He knew that once he stepped foot on the surface and saw what was going on, that he had to do something. And that he was going to do something.

"Why are you so beat up anyway?" Running alongside Brox, Luffy inspected the boy from top to bottom. He was a hot mess.

Rubbing his arm over his cheek, "It's nothing." He mumbled.

"Okay." Luffy shrugged and picked up his pace, taking the lead.

"Wait," Reaching out, Brox stumbled, "you can't lead the way if you don't know where to go!"

* * *

Franky stood in front of the slaves with his arms crossed, "We can't let you go."

Robin, who had the slaves herded in a corner, stepped forward, "It isn't safe."

"Safe? You have us pinned behind a fence of hands!" One of the slaves shouted, gesturing towards the hands that laced around them.

"It's for your protection! If we let you run wild, then you'll get beat up by the guards!" Franky explained, leaning against one of the large hands that blossomed from the ground.

"Let them then!"

"Yeah!"

"It's better than being their slaves!"

"We'd rather die then put those collars back on!"

"They'll pay for what they did!"

"We're on the surface without the collars on for once, we can do something!"

"We can kill them!"

"We can free ourselves!"

Robin looked at Franky and then the slaves, "We can't let you go. Captains orders."

Nodding, "Captains orders!" Franky repeated and then returned Robin's gaze, "Can you handle them while I find others?" He asked.

A hand grew from the concrete, the palm facing upward. Using it as a seat, Robin turned an unwavering stare to the group, "Yes."

* * *

"What is this place?" Sanji asked, running his finger along dust covered control boards, "A broadcasting system?"

Taking a seat in one of the chairs, rotating around in circles, "Nope." Jael said, "That's not what this place is."

Tired of Jael's foolishness, Sanji stuck his foot out and slammed it between Jael's legs, stopping him from spinning in the chair and narrowingly missing his family jewels. "Then where are we?"

"Hey! Watch it, will ya'? He's for love making, not for smashing!" Pausing, Jael snorted, "Well, and for smashing if you think about it that way."

Inhaling a tight breath, Sanji resisted the urge to kick Jael's head right off.

Holding his hands up in defense, "Calm down." Jael grinned. "It's how the GN soldiers are controlled. Well, it's how we used to control them."

Sanji pressed a couple of buttons, but nothing happened. "What are GN soldiers?"

"They aren't normal cyborgs. Actually, they aren't cyborgs, just life-like robots. They have chips in them that can be used for control. There upgraded guards basically."

"So, why are we here if they don't use these controls anymore?"

"To set it back up and start controlling them."

"Didn't you say you were Emiliee's guard? Did you ever control the GN soldiers?"

Jael leaned back in the chair, pulling his arms behind his head, "Yup and nope."

Sanji slammed a fist into the control boards, "Then how do we control them if you've never done it?"

"My brother did, and he liked to talk about it all the time." Jael shrugged, "It didn't seem hard."

Gesturing toward the buttons, "This would have been a job for Franky." Sanji growled, "You should have told us sooner instead of keeping it to yourself!"

"Oops."

* * *

"What do we do now?" Usopp shouted, his hands holding on either side of his face, "She knows who we are and she saw us!"

Nami jerked the curtain back into place and turned to face her two crew mates, "She won't attack us here."

Chopper peeked around Nami and tried to look around the curtain, "What if she does?!"

"There are hundreds of innocent people out there, I doubt she wants to hurt them." Nami reasoned.

"But she killed Jael's entire family, why wouldn't she kill them!?" Usopp panicked, trotting in place nervously.

"She killed his family?!" Chopper shouted, running in a small circle.

Usopp nodded his head vigorously, "Sliced their heads right off!" he said, reaching his hands around his own throat.

Nami put her hands around her neck, looking behind her, "Their heads?"

* * *

"What's wrong," Reih whispered, kneeling down behind Zoro, "can't tell reality from fabrication?"

Zoro clenched his hands into the garden's soil. Inwardly, he fought with himself. The world around him was unfocused and disarranged. The poison was running through his veins slowly, tormenting him with visions of unsightly things that he couldn't understand.

Reih grabbed the back of Zoro's head and yanked him back. The swordsman grunted at this, his eyes staring off into the distance. One side of him wanted to beat the man down, but the other side fought against it, paying more attention to the fact that he was now being surrounded by multiple notorious pirates. Or so, he thought.

"What," Zoro growled, looking in the direction of a tree, "are you doing here?"

Wanting to have fun with the delusional pirate, Reih shoved Zoro forward, burying his face into the ground. Leaning down, he pressed his cheek against the side of his head, "Why don't you go fight him?"

A low snarl rolled up Zoro's throat and he climbed to his feet, Reih following the movement with a hand on the swordsman shoulder. "Kid," Zoro rolled his shoulder roughly, removing Reih' hold, "what are you doing here?"

Looking behind him for a spot to sit, "This should be fun." Reih chuckled heinously.


	23. (XXIII) The Luminous Island Part 16

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

I was too excited to wait and post this.

I know tomorrow afternoon I'll be re-reading it and finding errors though.

But again, I was excited to post this chapter!

Have a great Sunday everyone!

 **U . P . D . A . T . E . S**

Chapter 1, 2 and 3 have been updated on October 3, 2016.

* * *

Mae's heart pounded against her rib cage, the vibrations flooding through her veins. The unfamiliar voice that reached her ears did not belong to a good-natured man. The words that came from the person's lips were covered in poison and she knew that they belonged to someone on the prowl.

Maneuvering herself around to face the man, she instantly out stretched her arm and measured an inch back, keeping Ma' at a distance. There was no mistaking who this man was. He had the same appearance as the GN soldiers that her an Usopp had met previously.

"I knew I'd find you here."

Unbuttoning the coat and removing it from her shoulders, Mae folded it up and handed it to Ma' while keeping a close eye on the man.

"The elder requests that you return at once."

Snorting a laugh, "I don't think so."

"Then you'll be forced to come with me."

"And if I resist?" Mae questioned, almost enjoying the small words between them. It was about time that she got to fight.

"I'm going to have to knock you out and take you to him."

A sly grin reached the corner of Mae's mouth, "You can try."

Ma' stumbled back and leaned against a nearby wall with a hand over her heart as she watched white powder appear at the base of her floor. Raising her eyes from the cold substance, she drew them to the palm of Mae's hands, a soft and subtle gasp escaping her.

"I should have told you sooner," Mae said, keeping a close eye on the man, "I'm a devil fruit user."

GN six looked at the snow that gathered on his shoulder, "Snow flakes won't protect you."

"That's where you're wrong." Mae jerked her hands forward and shot solid snow balls at a rapid speed, causing the man to stumble back confused; caught off guard from the sudden outburst.

Mae watched as he tripped over his own footing and toppled down from the balcony's ledge, exactly as she had planned. The attack wasn't meant to hurt him. It was meant to remove him from being anywhere near Ma's home.

Stepping out of the door, "Don't come outside, no matter what." Mae instructed and without another word, shifted her form and swooped down and off of the ledge; following after the man.

"What took you so long?" GN six taunted, his piercing green eyes keeping a solid gaze on her as she touched down.

Resting her hands on her hips, "Eager for me to kick your ass?" Mae grinned.

GN six threw his head back and laughed. Reaching for his sleeve, he tugged at it and then yanked his robe off, revealing a pair of black slacks underneath and a white tank top clinging to his chest.

"Afraid to get your robe dirty?"

Running a hand through his slicked back hair, he barked out another laugh, "You're feisty."

"And you're warming up to me. You're not sounding so robotic anymore." Mae winked.

"There's no reason to be strict or proper when dealing with a bitchy whore."

Taken back, Mae looked at GN six with a raised brow, "Excuse me?"

The man didn't say another word and raised his arm out to the side. In that second, it shifted from a normal arm into a seven bladed sword.

"So, you're a cyborg." She mumbled, watching as his other arm stretched out and it too, shifted into another seven bladed sword.

"A cyborg?" GN six fixated his eyes on her, his stance hunched, "No. I'm a robot. Controlled by someone from a distance."

Scratching at her chin, Mae looked around for any sign of cameras or on lookers, "Then how can you see and hear-"

"My eyes."

Without warning, the man rushed forward at a remarkable speed, his sword skewering the wall behind Mae as she dodged him at the last second. Removing it from the wall, he faced her and again, rushed forward. This time, he slashed at her nonstop. Their foot work led her back as she attempted to avoid each attack. Every time it was a direct hit against her body though, but she was able to avoid it by changing her flesh into snow.

It was then she was thankful that he didn't have haki or else she'd already be a sliced to shreds. Jumping backwards repeatedly, the man following her footsteps, Mae led him closer to the tunnels and away from the town and the citizens. The homes were already a disaster from the conditions of wear and tear and she knew that one hit from either of them would cause the buildings to collapse.

"I thought you were ready to fight." GN six said, doing a sharp spin and knocking his leg under Mae's foot.

With a haste jump in the air, Mae dive bombed back and landed into the snow that rested on the ground. While he was persistently jabbing and slicing at her, she had brewed up a storm that covered the streets and through the tunnel. It was enough to give her enough room to fight, but not so much that she'd go over her devil fruit limits.

"You can't hide in this mess forever."

Mae smirked, her head poking out of the snow a few feet behind the man. "It's called a technique. Everyone has one. Mine just happens to be snow based."

GN six turned sharp on his heel, but it was too late, Mae was already gone. Looking around his surroundings, "It's a pathetic technique." He decided, keeping an eye out.

Appearing beneath him, Mae reached out and took a hold of his leg, half of her body visible from the snow. "That's not very nice." She frowned before jerking him downward and bringing him to the ground.

A low grunt escape him when his body hit the floor. With haste though, he jumped back up and swiped his leg down onto Mae's left arm. It took her by surprise, his movements almost too quick to be seen. And because she was not prepared for it, her arm felt a great deal of pain.

It was then that she came to realization that her arm was still broken from before and her shoulder wasn't in the best shape either. Having numbed them with her power, she had completely forgotten.

Suppressing a cry between tight lips, Mae sunk back into the snow. She couldn't let him see her weakness. She had to take a leap in faith and hope that he wouldn't notice that her arm wasn't completely useful. She felt a pain of anger toward herself. It was stupid of her to forget. And even though the numbing worked, it wouldn't do her any good to pretend that her arm wasn't hurt and use it. She knew that it would only lead to more physical problems in the end.

An abrupt outcry broke Mae from her thoughts. Breaking through the snow, standing a good distance from GN six, Mae gasped, catching sight of a young girl in his arms. "YeVanna?!"

"Mae!" YeVanna cried out, jerking against his hold, but retreating back as the blades pressed against her.

Mae scowled. "Let her go." She warned, a blizzard beginning to form around them.

GN six let a smirk crawl onto his lips, "So you know her?" He taunted, pushing his arm deeper into her stomach.

YeVanna began to cry, "It hurts!"

"I said," Mae advanced forward at a dangerous speed, "let her go!"

GN six took a step to the side, "Ah-Ah-Ah" he tisked.

Coming to an abrupt stop, Mae drew her attention to the man's blade which was now pressed against YeVanna's neck. "You're a bastard." She snarled under her breath.

"We don't want to spill any blood on this beautiful snow, now do we?"

Rummaging and wracking her mind for a solution, Mae kept a span between them, not wanting him to cause YeVanna any harm.

"Such a young one," GN six said, looking down at YeVanna, "Don't you think?" When he rose his eyes back up, he faltered and began to look around cautiously.

Mae was nowhere to be seen.

All at once though, she surface seconds later and shoved her body against his own. The closeness left him dumbfounded, his arm loosening around YeVanna. Taking advantage of this, Mae wasted no time and tucked one hand under the blade while using the other to wrap and bind his free arm.

Wrenching his arms back and behind him with a great deal of force, "I said," Mae snarled, "let her go." And then she slammed her knee directly into his spine, arching him backwards.

YeVanna collapsed to the ground, crying. Reaching one hand to her neck, she whipped around and began to crab crawl back. "Mae!"

Continuing to keep a tight hold on the man, "Run, just run and go home!" Mae shouted to the girl, her feet pressing tighter into the snow for support.

Wiping snot from her nose, "What about you?!" YeVanna whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Mae used one quick jerk and bent GN six further back before shoving him into the snow, "I'll be fine! You need to go, now!"

With a firm nod, YeVanna climbed to her feet and scampered through the snow, slipping and falling in between her steps.

Bringing her attention to GN six, "How dare you," Mae bit sharply, creating four versions of her barrier around his ankles and arms, pinning him to the ground, "Touch her!"

Laying on the ground, "She's just a slave." He replied, "Easily replaceable."

Once YeVanna was out of sight, Mae created a barrier between the tunnel and the village, blocking anyone else from coming through.

While she did this, GN six broke through two of the ice barriers on his wrists, heat steaming from his blades. Sitting upward, he then slammed his arms down and into the snow around his ankles, cracking and breaking it with ease. "If you think a little snow is going to stop me, you're wrong." He said.

Before Mae could turn around, the back of her knees were sliced, causing her to stumble forward and onto all fours, "Ah!"

The wound wasn't deep, but it caught her by surprise. Rolling around and onto her back, she narrowed her eyes at the man and then disappeared back into the snow.

It was a sink or swim game with this man, and she was not about to drown. Even though she was not the strongest member of her new crew, she did not want to come out being the weakest. And being defeated by this man would put her at the bottom, there wasn't a doubt in her mind.

Looking down at GN Six from the ceiling, "You have to have a weakness." She whispered.

Mae summoned another blizzard, making sure that this time, it was one that would blind him from seeing two inches out. As the snow brewed and GN six fought to move, it then clicked. Metal may be a solid, but the colder it gets, the more likely it is to become brittle and fracture.

"That's it."

Descending and whisking through the heavy snowfall, "Had enough?" Mae shouted, swirling her body around his own before coming to a stop in front of him.

Slashing his blades simultaneously, "We're just getting started." GN six answered back while keeping his blades steady, continuously throwing attacks in her direction.

"Are you sure about that?" With a swift motion, she wrapped a barrier of snow around his stomach, this time making sure that it was thick enough that he wouldn't be able to steam right through it.

Ignoring the snow around his waist, "I'm positive." He responded, throwing himself down on the ground and swinging a kick at her ankles.

Mae avoided his attack and swiftly moved around and behind him. Once he stood back up, she did what she had done previously and wrapped her body close to his.

"This again?" GN six snorted.

Mae yanked his arms back, "Yes," she growled lowly, "this again." Before he could say another word, she jerked him back sharply. It was that moment all of her anger was focus on him and as her leg retreated back, a shimmer of black formed around her knee. With full force, she slammed her knee forward and into his back, unaware of the power that she had just used.

GN six didn't have a reaction of pain as his brittle body was snapped into two. While his lower half fell to the ground, his upper half was thrown aside and against a nearby wall. Collapsing to the ground with a breath of air, "I did it." Mae whispered to herself, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips, "I did it."

As she sat in victory, a familiar voice rose from the silence.

"Is it on?"

Mae rose an eyebrow, "Sanji?" she mumbled, searching the calm snow for her fellow crew mate.

"Wait, I hear someone, who's there?"

Standing back up, "It's me, Mae. Sanji, where are you?" she responded.

"Mae? Where are you?"

"I'm underground, where are you?" She asked, standing back up and spinning in a small circle.

"Hey, it worked." Sanji said casually, ignoring her question.

"What worked?"

"Jael, why can't I move? And why are one of the cameras blacked out?"

Mae continued to look around, completely confused, "Sanji! What's going on?"

"I am moving! But as you can see, the body isn't..."

Mae looked over at GN six suspiciously, "Sanji?"

"Dammit, why isn't he following my movements?"

When the robot's mouth moved and Sanji's words flowed through, she ran to it and collapsed onto her knees, "Sanji, hey! Sanji!"

"Oh, those are Mae's boobs. Mae's.. Boobs... Boobs.." Sanji's voice trailed off and hearts appeared in GN six's eyes.

Looking down, Mae sighed and adjusted her position, "Can you see me now?"

Sanji snapped out of his trance, "What's going on?"

"I should be asking you the same thing."

"Jael's secret mission wasn't to run away like a pansy- Ow! Don't hit me!"

"All right, pay attention. What's going on?" Mae asked again, snapping her fingers in front of GN six's face.

"The GN soldiers are operated by regular men in a control room. Jael and I snuck into an old control room and rebooted it. We took control of one of the GN soldiers."

Still confused, "Just one soldier? Can you take over more?" she questioned.

"Yes, but it will take time. We're having trouble getting this one to function correctly."

Mae laughed, "That's because I broke him in half."

"Wait, what?"

"I broke him in half, and his eye is smashed." Mae said, poking the blackened eye.

"Did you have to fight him? Are you okay?" Sanji sounded worry, but it cleared up in no time and he then let out a low growl, "Where's moss head?! He's supposed to be protecting you!"

Nodding, "I did have to fight him, but I'm okay. I don't need protection. And we ran into a problem when we got down here." Mae explained.

"A problem?"

"Reih."

"What?!" Jael's loud voice shouted from the background, but coming out of GN six's mouth in a low whisper due to the distance.

"That's not all though. He's been poisoned. We ran into some sort of bee on our way to the elevator."

"Poisoned?" Sanji repeated, not an ounce of care in his tone.

"It's making him hallucinate. I'm not sure what else it might do to him. He went crazy earlier and attacked me."

"He did what?!"

"I'm fine though!" Mae assured Sanji, raising her hands up, "But I'm worried that he won't be."

"He can take care of himself. And I'll make sure that he isn't fine once I get my hands on him! How dare he attack a lady!"

Mae shook her head and bowed it, locks of brunette hair falling into her face, "I don't know if he can shake it off."

"What do you mean it will get worse?" Sanji mumbled.

"What?" Mae raised her head, "What?"

"Well, what is she supposed to do? Chopper might have an antidote for-"

"An antidote?" Mae repeated, "Where?"

"Jael said that the poison will get worse. That the hallucinations will get worse and it won't be long until they take over his mind completely and he goes insane."

Grabbing GN six's head and bringing him closer, "You've got to be kidding me?!" she shouted, her eyes glossing over.

"There's an antidote in Emiliee's drawer. Apparently she keeps it there for sake keeping." Sanji said and then mumbled, "Convenient." Under his breath.

A relieved sigh escape Mae and she fell back into the snow, "Then I'll get it."

"He's going to have to drink it. It's in a small bottle. It can't be injected."

"Well, I'm sure he'll be willing to drink-"

"If he's under a hallucination, he won't be willing to do anything." Jael's voice was now coming from GN six.

Tightening her expression, "Then I'll force him to drink it." Mae said.

A sigh escaped GN six, "It's not going to be easy. The hallucinations can go either way."

Mae clenched her fingers into the snow, "I have to at least try. No one else is here to do it."

"Just, don't get yourself killed, okay?"

"Are you worried?" Mae smirked, leaning forward and staring hard into GN six's eyes.

"About that sweet ass of yours getting damaged? You bet."


	24. (XXIV) The Luminous Island Part 17

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **Thank you for the patience. :)**

 **Due to storms on my end, I had to delay the story/updates.**

 **Also, after reading about Hurricane Mathew, I want to say that I hope all is well on your end.**

 **And please stay safe. After affects are as bad as the storm itself sometimes.**

 **Oh and chapter updates can be found on my page.**

 **Now, enjoy this next chapter!**

* * *

"Can you shut up," Mae whispered, holding GN's six head in her arms while she ducked and crawled through the tower's gardens, "you're going to give my position away."

Jael exhaled a breath, "Yeah, yeah."

Tight lipped, Mae maneuvered the head under one arm and took a leap forward. Rolling behind a tree, she hustled in her step and crab crawled backwards, pressing her back against the trunk. When she was settled on the ground, she slyly leaned over and looked around the tree.

"What do you see?" Jael asked.

Mae grumbled under her breath, tired of his constant pestering. Retreating back, she pulled herself onto her knees and lifted GN's six head. Moving it to the side, she carefully poked the head around the tree. It was just enough for them to see what was going on.

In the distance, Reih could be seen with his back turned toward them. His attention was fixated on someone else. It was Zoro and he was going on a rampage, attacking anything and everything around him, shouting complete nonsense.

Jael let out a sigh, "He's hallucinating."

Bringing the head back, Mae sat it on the ground in front of her, "And Reih's watching him like it's some kind of show."

"You're going to have to be quick. Do you know where to go? Where to find the antidote?"

Mae gave a firm nod, "I do."

"Wait-" Sanji's voice took over, "-How do you plan on getting moss head to drink it? He's stubborn and because of the hallucinations, I'm positive that he'll be a bigger pain in the ass."

Bringing the head under her arm, Mae looked upward, "I'll think of something."

"It isn't going to be easy sneaking around them." Jael's spoke up, "Are you sure you don't want our help?"

Tightening her hold on the head, Mae snorted, "By the time you get here, things will already have turned sour. Besides, I can handle myself."

"Well, just in case you need help, we know where to find you. So don't think that you're alone." Jael assured her.

"Is that worry I sense in your voice?" Mae smiled, looking over her shoulder to make sure that the coast was clear.

Jael muttered something inaudible under his breath, but he didn't say anything more.

"I'll be fine, I can take care of myself." Mae whispered to him before carefully standing up, "I'm moving out. Don't talk anymore."

When neither Jael or Sanji responded, Mae took advantage of the clearing and advanced forward. With haste, she moved behind a large fountain and knelt down. Trudging forward on her knees, she kept an open eye out on the surrounding area. It wasn't a far distance between her and the tower, but there were plenty of exposed areas that could give her position away.

As she moved from the fountain and into the clearing, she turned her eyes to Reih and kept a watchful eye on him.

She was thankful that he hadn't noticed her yet.

Quick to move behind a nearby gathering of bushes, she hunched over and stayed low. "I'm almost there." She murmured softly.

Reaching a hand into one of the bushes, she pushed aside the leaves and looked around. Reih wasn't in sight and because of that, her heart began to race.

"I can hear your heart," Jael mumbled, "It sounds like it's about to pound right out of your chest."

Mae ignored him, and continued to look across the garden. It was then, that she saw Reih and her stomach lurched. He was now facing her, with his eyes directed on the bushes that she was hiding behind.

"Fuck me."

Just when she shifted her footwork to get a head start, a sword came slashing through the bushes, slicing them into nothing but mulch.

"What was that!?" Jael suddenly shouted, unable to see what was going on.

Mae flung backwards and landed on the ground, GN six's head rolling out of her arms and across the garden. In that second, she cursed under her breath. Of course, while she was determined to keep an eye on Reih, she never thought to keep an eye out for Zoro.

Stretching her arm out, Mae attempted to grab the head before it could roll too far, but it was too late. And as she watched it spin further and further away, Zoro took a step in front of her, his shadow covering her from head to toe.

Blinking, she slowly shifted her eyes upright, "Crap." She mumbled, the swordsman now standing at her feet with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Mae!" Mae! Are you okay?! Mae!" Jael and Sanji's voices repeatedly shouted at her in the background.

She didn't answer though.

Turning on her hands and knees, she shuffled forward and put some distance between her and Zoro. Then, she shifted her form and swiftly flew herself over to GN six's head. Reaching outward, she changed her hand back to normal and grabbed the head by its hair. And with a tight hold on it, she increased her speed and redirected herself, moving towards the tower.

"Mae," Jael shouted, "Mae! He's right behind you!"

"If you touch a hair on her head, I'll kill you, you shitty swordsman!" Sanji threatened loudly.

"You two aren't helping!" Mae hollered back, keeping a close eye on the window that she was headed for.

Snow wisped behind her as she execrated in speed and steered upward. She was on a direct path to the window and thankfully, it was left open. As soon as she came into the room, she changed back and hastily moved over to the window, closing it tight.

"Hurry, it's in the drawer!"

"And after she finds it?" Sanji scolded, "He's not going to willingly drink it!"

Setting the head down on the desk, "Let me worry about that, Sanji." Mae insisted.

Kneeling down on one knee, she started opening multiple drawers at a time, "What does it look like?" She asked, tossing paper and objects aide.

Jael hummed thoughtfully, "It will be in a small bottle."

"That's it? A small bottle?" Sanji remarked sarcastically.

"Well," Jael stumbled over his words, "it's blue, too. That's all I know!"

Shuffling the papers around, "I don't see it." Mae growled, growing irritated.

All at once, the window and the wall were sliced down and Zoro came jumping through, landing in front of the desk.

With more haste, Mae began to throw everything out of the drawers, "Come on, come on!" She whined, her eyes darting back and forth from the desk to Zoro.

"Zoro!" Sanji's voice threatened, "Don't you hurt her!"

"Oh!" Mae perked up, "I found it!"

She would have done a victory dance if it weren't for that fact that Zoro was ready to cut her into pieces.

"Great, you found it!"

"Yeah, she found it, but now how does she get him to drink it?" Sanji said with agitation.

"Akainu," Zoro stayed in his place, his hands gripped tight around two swords, "What are you doing here?"

"Akainu?" Jael repeated, "As in that crazy marine dude?"

Mae held a hand out, "Zoro," she said slowly, "it's me, Mae, _not_ Akainu."

Playing with the small bottle between her fingers, she glanced to her right and then to her left. She pondered on a way to get him to drink the antidote without causing destruction or losing a limb in the process. Thinking hard, she puffed out her cheeks and then let the breath of air go with a pop.

After a few seconds of silence, she moved around the desk and took a couple of cautious steps towards him, "Zoro," she mumbled, "Zoro, it's me."

"Don't get to close to him." Jael insisted, watching the two closely.

"I have to get close to him." Mae said, "Or else I can't get him to take the antidote. "

Zoro narrowed his eyes, watching Mae's footwork, "Who are you talking to?"

Mae cleared her throat, "No one." She responded, shooting a death glare over her shoulder at GN six's head.

"Are you communicating with the other admirals?"

"No," Mae spoke abruptly, turning back to him, "I'm not."

"You were quick to answer." Zoro's eyebrows furrowed and he hunched forward, ready to attack.

"It was an honest answer." Mae assured him, breaking their eye contact for a brief second to observe the snow that gathered behind him and around his feet.

He hadn't noticed.

"You never answered my question." Zoro shifted his footwork, "What are you doing here?"

Mae held in a breath and she retreated the snow back from his feet, making sure that he wouldn't be able to feel it under his shoes.

Blinking her eyes to his, "I'm here to help you." She replied, slowly bringing the snow back around his feet.

Zoro barked a short laugh, "You're here to help me?"

Mae nodded slowly, "Yes."

"Why would an admiral want to-"

"I'm not an admiral," Mae bit out, "I've already told you that."

"So, you just happen to look exactly like Akainu?"

Mae was almost offended, looking down at her body and then back up at him, "I look nothing him!"

"I bet he has bigger boobs than you."

Mae was nimble and turned around to face the desk, "What was that?" She snapped, staring down at GN six's head.

Before Jael could reply, she slammed a fist into the robot's head and sent it flying across the room and into a nearby wall, breaking the stone.

"Oh great," Jael exclaimed, "we can't see anything through the rubble!"

"Apparently there's nothing to see." She muttered under her breath, cupping two hands around her decent sized breasts.

Ready to grapple with Zoro, Mae dusted her hands together and twisted back around, facing the swordsman. At that instant, she discovered that he was no longer standing, but hunched over on the ground. He was grabbing and slamming at the floor with his head bowed low.

Worry washed over her and she knelt down, "Zoro?"

He appeared to be fighting between his reality and the delusional mess around him.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Mae lifted the antidote up and in front of him, "I need you to drink this."

He didn't respond. And with a long sigh, Mae licked her lips and raised the antidote to her mouth. Situating the cork between her teeth, she bit down hard and yanked it out of the bottle. Spitting it aside, she held the bottle back out and nudged it towards him recklessly, "It's the antidote. You just need to drink it. It will fix everything"

By surprise, Zoro instantaneously jerked his head upright and reached a quick hand forward, grabbing a tight hold of her wrist.

"What do I need an antidote for?" He hissed, tightening his fingers around her.

Mae fought the urge to change her hand into snow and break free from his grasp. She didn't want to risk dropping the bottle on the ground and spilling the contents.

"It's to help you," She insisted, "you're not well."

Zoro kept a snug hold on her wrist, "I'm just fine." He snarled before yanking her forward.

At the sudden motion, Mae lost her balance and collapsed face first into the floor. And as this happened, she inadvertently let the antidote go.

"Oh, dammit!" She cursed loudly, watching as the liquid poured out of the bottle and all over the floor.

"What," Jael shouted from the rubble, "what happened?!"

When the last drop fell, Mae pried herself from the floor and stood up, "Nothing." She insisted, "I'm fine."

As she prepared to beat some sense into the swordsman, she found that he was already on the move and headed straight for her. And just before she could move out of the way, he stabbed his sword right through her abdomen.

"Ha!" Mae teased, looking down at the sword that pierced through snow instead of flesh, "You missed."

Zoro faltered in confusion, "Snow?" He mumbled.

It was obvious that he expected to see lava.

Taking advantage of his perplexed state of mind, Mae propelled the snow on the ground upward and encircled it around him. She knew that it wouldn't hold him for more than a few seconds, but she hoped that it would give her enough time to collect the antidote from the floor.

Quick to bend down on her hands and knees, she approached the puddle, "This is definitely not sanitary." She declared before suctioning her lips to the ground.

She then began to suck up the antidote, taking it in by the mouthful. All the while she did this, she reached a hand out and blindly felt around the floor for the bottle; planning to spit the contents back into it.

Finally, when the last drop was inhaled, she sat up and looked around for the bottle. When she caught sight of it, she proceeded to reach out and grab it. Just as she inched towards it though, the snow wall built around Zoro shattered and he came rushing for her.

Mae held in profound language and avoided his oncoming attack, moving to the side. As she did this, she accidentally gulped down some of the antidote.

"Mmmm!" She groaned, pursing her lips together and forcing herself from swallowing anymore.

When she regained her composer, Mae scanned the room for the empty bottle. During this time, she also kept an eye on Zoro from her peripheral view. With one last scan around the room, she finally found the vile.

With a moan, she mentally slapped her forehead. It was stationed just between them. And if she were to make a move for it, it would risk setting Zoro off and cause him to think that she was going in for an attack.

Rubbing a stressed hand over her face, _"Just my luck."_ She muttered inwardly.

"I wouldn't expect an admiral to run so much." Zoro taunted, gripping the hilt of his swords tighter, a wave of haki casting over his hands.

Mae tottered back at the sight. Zoro was becoming serious and time was wearing thin.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, she glanced down and contemplated whether or not to make the first move. Before she could decide on anything though, Zoro took the initiative and advanced forward.

In horror, she watched as his fast footwork led him directly to the bottle; the glass shattering under his shoe. Unable to keep up with his movements after that, Mae built a wall of solid snow at the last second.

The structure wasn't sturdy enough to hold him back though and he broke right through it.

Knowing well enough that the Haki could result in a fatal attack, Mae stumbled backwards and against the wall behind her, looking around for a way to avoid his next move.

It was too late though and not long after her back touched the wall, his sword was forced right through her.

Mae clenched her eyes closed and waited for the pain to wash over her body. When it didn't come though, she opened one eye and looked downward.

A wave of relief fluttered in her stomach. Instead of piercing right through her, Zoro narrowly missed and had his sword stabbed between her arm and her waist.

It was luck.

No, it wasn't luck.

Mae knew that his delusions were throwing him off balance. He was off by an inch every time he attempted to attack her.

With a firm nod, Mae mumbled _'My turn'_ against the mouthful of antidote that she was hanging onto.

Taking in a deep breath through her nostrils, she took a hold of the sword's blade and steadied herself. With her other hand, she reached out and grabbed his waistband, using the material as leverage to bring him forward. As she did all of this, hundreds of snow barriers were built around his feet.

Building a barrier around his waist and connecting it to the wall behind her, keeping him in place, Mae let go of his waistband and moved her hand to the back of his head. Tangling her fingers into a mess of his hair, she took a tight hold of him and yanked his head back.

"What are you doing?!" He shouted, fighting against her hold, the snow cracking under the pressure.

"Mm-twying-to-smav-you-ass." She answered back, trying to keep the antidote from leaking out of her mouth.

Not wasting another second, Mae stood on the tip of her toes and forced his head further back. Narrowing her eyes at him, wary that he might try to bite her tongue off, she muffled a warning before pressing her mouth to his, force feeding him the antidote.

Realizing that he was still hallucinating, a thought came to mind; could Zoro be seeing Akainu instead of her? And would that mean, he thought that the admiral was kissing him?


	25. (XXV) The Luminous Island Part 18

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

I was out of town for a couple of weeks, It was an emergency up and go sort of situation.

Buuuuut ~ I have finally come back!

:)

And this chapter isn't as long as I wanted to make it, but I'm half asleep and I figured that I owed you guys an update before I let another day slip by.

I'm going to be writing all day tomorrow, so expect a fast update after this. I ALSO OWE that to you guys.

Thanks for the love, support and positive feedback!

* * *

"I'm here to help." Franky insisted, standing at a distance from a group of slaves that he cornered into the backstreets.

One of the men raised a broken piece of plywood up and threateningly poked it in his direction, "And why should we trust you?" He snarled.

Another slave, who was also on guard, gestured towards nothing in particular, "We've seen enough to know that we can't just trust anyone that comes our way."

"Yeah!" A young boy chirped up from behind them, looking around their legs and eying Franky with curiosity.

Franky lifted his hands up and presented open palms, "If I wanted to do something, like attack you or corner you, I would have already done it."

The group looked at each other and then back at him, "But you _did_ corner us!" They shouted.

Scratching at the back of his head with a nervous chuckle, "I guess you're right!" Franky admitted, "But it was because you kept running and you wouldn't listen!"

The small boy pried through the group of men and trotted over to Franky, "Why do you want to help us?" He asked, looking up at him.

"Huh?" Franky looked down and grinned, "Captains orders."

The boy's eyebrows furrowed, "Captains orders?" He repeated, sparked with interest.

"Yeah," Franky nodded, "my captain heard about your situation and decided to take everything into his own hands with the help of his crew!"

"So, there are more of you?" The man holding the plywood asked, lowering the weapon to his side.

One of the other slaves reached out and touched the man's shoulder, "Don't encourage him. We shouldn't trust him. We shouldn't trust anyone."

"Ow!" Franky shouted, "You can trust me!"

The small boy jumped back at his sudden outburst, and the man raised the plywood back up, "Just because you say we can trust you, doesn't mean that we _should_."

Franky sighed and dramatically let his head fall to the side, "I thought this was going to be easier!"

With narrow eyes, one of the men stepped forward and held an arm out to keep the rest of the group back, "If you think that we would be easily fooled into trusting a stranger, you are wrong!"

"He's right!" Another man agreed, "Our families have been slaves for years and this is where that line ends! We are prepared to fight and keep the freedom that Aury has given us!"

Franky shifted his head to the other side, and looked at the man in wonder, "Aury?"

"He's the one who got the collars off of us."

"Wait just a minute," Franky protested, "I don't know who this Aury guy is, but Luffy was the one who pressed the button and released your collars!" Pausing, he then scratched at the back of his head, "Even if he didn't realize what he was doing."

"You are wrong!" A man objected from the crowd, "It _was_ Aury. We were told to be on guard during the festivities. He assured us that he would be the one to snatch Ze've's locket!"

Franky pointed a finger at him, "No, you're wrong!"

The man growled and held up a fist, preparing to brawl with him, "Are you calling me a liar."

"It's True." From behind Franky, a man appeared with five others at his side, "I wasn't the one who released you."

With a smug expression, "See, I told you!" Franky declared before faltering and turning around to confront the new comer, "Who are you?!"

Spectating the slaves that were cornered against the wall, "I am Aury." The man answered, drawing his attention to Franky.

"Wait," The boy interjected, "If you didn't set us free, then-"

"His captain did." Aury said, grabbing at his blonde beard as he inspected Franky.

"Then," One of the men threw a hand up in Franky's direction, "he's really here to help us?"

"He is. And from what I've heard and seen, he isn't the only one who's here to help us."

Confused, one of the men stepped forward, "So you called for help?"

"No," Aury grunted, "I didn't call for help. We didn't expect him, or his friends to come."

Another man appeared from the group, "And, what exactly have you heard and what have you seen?"

"I've heard enough to know that we can trust him. And I've seen plenty to know that they are on our side."

One of the men gestured towards the open walkway, "I thought that you told the other men about your plan. Why is everyone creating more chaos? We were supposed to gather together once the collars were off."

The young boy frowned, "Everything is a mess," he whispered, "people are running wild."

Aury nodded in understanding, "We had a plan to explain the situation to the men before we released the collars. Unfortunately though, they were released before we could reach everyone. The only men who know what we had planned are you guys and the five men behind me."

"Ow!" Franky shouted, "And that's why I'm trying to collect everyone! To keep you guys from running wild!"

"You're herding us into corners without an explanation!" A man barked, "You can't just do that!"

"You wouldn't listen!" Franky exclaimed, pointing a finger at the man.

Aury gestured for everyone to calm down, "Please," he insisted, "now is not the time to bicker."

As the men settled down, Aury stepped between the group and Franky, "It's going to take a lot to stop the Elders and those who blindly follow them. We don't know what they will do to stop us, but we can be sure that the threat of our children and wives are on the line."

"Tell us then, what do we need to do?" One of the men insisted, "We want to help."

Aury moved next to Franky and put a hand on his shoulder, "I need you to follow him."

At his words, the men went into a frenzy.

"What do you mean follow him?"

"Follow this guy? We don't even know who is he!"

"We can't just go with him!"

"We want to help you!"

"You need our help!"

With a grunt, Aury removed his hand from Franky's shoulder and moved towards the group, "Men, for centuries our ancestors have been tortured. Our families have been murdered. And our mother's have been abused. You are full of hate, and I know this feeling well. I cannot blame you for not trusting him. But I promise you that he is trustworthy."

One of the men examined Franky, "What will following this robot do to help this situation? Shouldn't we go with you? You need all the help that you can get."

Franky's shoulders slumped down, "I'm a cyborg, not a robot."

"If you go with him, you can explain the situation to the other men who don't know what's going on." Aury explained, "I have already spoken with his female friend. Apparently the two of them are on a mission to round up all of you and keep you safe."

"You saw Robin?" Franky asked.

Aury didn't answer him and continued, "These two are going to lead you back down and into the sand. There, you can be of help. There, you can spread the word and protect your families from the harm that will come their way."

"And what about you? What are you going to do?" The men asked.

"I'll be fine," Aury assured them, "I have a plan."

* * *

Jael stood up from his chair and slammed a hand against the soundboard, "Why did she go and throw the head?!" He exclaimed loudly, "Now we can't see what's going on! What if she needs our help?!"

Sanji took the helmet he was wearing off and walked over to one of the monitors in the room. The connection was lost, the scene dancing with black and white lines. With a shrug, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, shoving it between his lips, "She can handle herself." He assured him.

With an over exaggerated breath, Jael landed back into his chair and swiveled around to face Sanji, "Did you see anything before the screen went out?"

Sanji hid a smirk at the corner of his mouth and turned his back on Jael, fiddling with a few buttons, "Nope."

Jael rubbed his hand over his five o'clock shadow and let out a frustrated breath, "That's it? Nope?"

"That's it," Sanji answered, "now let's get back to work."

Muttering words under his breath, Jael spun back around and began to work on the soundboard, "We won't be able to take over every robot."

"Didn't you say that we could?"

"I thought it was possible, but after seeing how everything operates, it won't be."

With a groan, Sanji reeled an empty chair to his side and took a seat, "Can we at least shut the GN soldiers down?"

"It won't be easy, but yes, we can shut them down." Jael answered. "I remember my brother talking about a central system. He explained that it is the power source of all the systems. Once it is turned off, then none of the soldiers can be controlled from anywhere in the Kingdom."

"All right," Sanji sat upright and began to press random buttons, "what do we need to do first?"

"First, we need to take over another GN soldier. After that, we can work our way into the main operating building. And then from there, we can shut down the entire system."

Dusting his hands across a blank screen, "Why can't we just go in ourselves?" Sanji asked.

Jael thought about it for a moment, "It would seem easier, but they have an alarm that is set to trigger if the doors to the control room are forced open. And we'd have to force them open. There's no way the guards would open the doors for us. Especially me, they know my face."

"And they'll just let a GN soldier walk in?"

"They'll question it, but I'm sure we can figure something out. There hasn't been a breech in the system before, so I doubt that they would question it."

"But why would a soldier even need to be there?"

"Sometimes soldiers are used to transfer messages. We can use that as an excuse."

"It sounds like a bad plan." Sanji muttered, kicking his feet up and leaning back in the chair.

"It's the only plan we have, unless you have something better we can do."

"Kick the door down and turn the system off ourselves."

"That won't work." Jael said, "We don't know how to turn it off. We need to convince one of the guard's to do it for us, or at least worm it out of them."

"Yeah, and what if they don't cooperate?"

"Well, let's worry about that when the time comes." Jael decided.

Nodding his head, Sanji pulled his legs down and stood up. Walking over to the props on the ground, "I take it that I'm going to be the one wearing the gear?"

Jael grinned, "Unless you want to press the buttons?"

* * *

"Emiliee," A GN solider walked onto the stage, standing behind Brook and the dark haired woman, "the crowds are getting antsy."

"And?"

The soldier cleared his throat, "And-"

Emiliee raised a hand to silence him. Pressing a single finger over an earpiece that she wore, she adverted her eyes to the ground and listened intently to a voice that spoke to her.

After a moment, she looked up and licked her teeth in frustration. Attempting to hide it behind a smile, she turned on her heel and faced the soldier. "GN 20."

Standing at attention, the solider put a hand to his chest and then dropped it to his side, "Ma'am."

"Make yourself useful and play video X42."

At her request, the solider took a sudden step back and looked down at the crowds, "Ma'am?"

"And make sure that the video is only seen in this court yard."

"D- Do- Do you think that it will be okay to show that specific video? Especially with what's going on?"

Emilie knew that it wasn't a smart idea, but she refused to disobey an order. With narrow eyes, "Did I ask for your opinion on the matter?" She bit out angrily, "Just do it!"

Brook stumbled back at her sudden outburst. He couldn't help but wonder how such a small woman could be so harsh and loud. Pointing over his shoulder, "I'm not in the mood to watch a movie," he excused, "I think I'll just be on my way."

Immediately, Emiliee reached up and took a tight hold of his forearm, "Don't you dare move an inch. I'm not done with you."

* * *

Running out of breath, Brox came to a stop and leaned against a wall. Leaning forward, he buried his head between his knees and waved a hand in Luffy's direction.

"Hey, why'd you stop?"

Inclining his head to the side, "I need a minute." Brox breathed before shoving his face back between his legs.

Looking around their surroundings, "We've been running for a long time. Shouldn't we be there by now? Where are you taking me anyway?" Luffy asked.

Brox inhaled a tight breath and rubbed at his bruised cheek. Pulling himself upright, he looked over at Luffy, "I'm taking you to the head."

"The what?" Luffy scratched a hand through his hair, his hat now resting on his back, "I thought you were taking me to the elder!"

"I am," Brox insisted, "the head is the main elder who makes all the decisions."

With a sour expression, Brox then looked down at his feet and kicked his toe against the pavement, "The thing is..." He hesitated, "I don't know where he's at... Exactly."

"What?!"

Holding his hands out in front of him, Brox waved them at Luffy, "I don't know a lot about anything up here! I'm just going off by what I've heard from other slaves!"

"So, you don't know where we're going?!"

"No," Brox sighed in defeat, "not really."

"But, you told me that you knew where to go!"

Before Brox could respond, two men appeared from around the corner, lost in their own conversation. And because of a large stack of crates and barrels, they didn't notice that Brox and Luffy were standing just on the other side of them.

"So, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That the video being shown is just propaganda?"

"You really are new, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"When were you recruited to be a guard?"

"About a week ago."

"I'd figure that you would have been informed by now. Or at least you would have figured it out."

"I don't get it, figured what out?"

"That the video _is_ a complete lie."

"And by lie you mean...?"

"That the slaves aren't living that perfect life that is shown in the video."

"Wait, what?"

"Haven't you been underground?"

"No, I wasn't permitted to go down there."

"Okay. Well, let me break it down for you. The slaves are just that. Slaves. They don't have clean clothes, new shoes, a table full of food and their homes are barely livable if even that."

"That can't be."

"We only use the video to make the citizen's believe that the slaves are happy and are living an enjoyable life outside of serving us."

"But why?"

"It'd be more depressing if they really knew their situation. I mean, look at you. You just found out and it looks like I just tore your heart out."

"I still don't understand. Why even have the slaves if the people wouldn't approve of how they're being treated. I mean, why can't we live peacefully together?"

"Who knows. The Elder's want it this way, so it's going to stay this way."

"So, in the end, no one knows what is really going on?"

"No one but the guards, the elders and the slaves. Man, you really should have known this already."

"Shouldn't someone stop it? I mean, the slaves are people too..."

"They are slaves. And besides, you've been pushing them around just as much as the rest of us."

"That's only because they've been running wild! If I knew the real reason as to why they were so angry, I wouldn't have-"

"You wouldn't have what?"

"I don't know. I guess I wouldn't have anything to do with any of this."

"Yeah, keep talking like that and you won't. The elders will have you and your family killed."

"I just don't feel right about this."

"None of us do, but we all have a family to protect."

"What if we stood together and-"

"And what? Fight the elders? We'd be destroyed in a second."

"What if the slaves see the video? Wouldn't they speak up?"

"They would, and that is where we come in."

"So, we aren't only herding them into corners and locking them up, we're keeping them away from the courtyard in order to keep them from seeing the video?"

"See, now you get it. Come on, we've wasted enough time."

Brox gripped tight to the crates, fighting the urge to step out and say something. And just when he prepared to reveal himself to the two guards, Luffy reached out and took a hold of his shoulder, keeping him in place.

"Luffy?"

Fixing his hat on the top of his head, Luffy straightened up and stepped out from behind the barrels.

Hearing the shuffled footwork behind them, the two guards turned around in order to inspect the noise.

One of the guards, who had a shaved head, reached down for his sword, "Who are you?" He asked, coming face to face with Luffy.

The other guard, who had a headful of black hair, put a hand to the man's chest in order to prevent him from doing anything stupid, "Citizens should be in the court yard."

"I'm not a citizen."


	26. (XXVI) The Luminous Island Part 19

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **I love the messages and comments, your positive feedback is AMAZING!**

 **Now... It's time for some more drama / action / and yah-dah.**

 **Have a great weekend!**

 **Also, I promise to have more Zoro / Mae scenes.**

 **Just be patient with me! :)**

* * *

Careful with Zoro's body, Mae contorted the snow barrier that was around him and turned it into solid plank. Using her good arm to position him back against it, she then used the board to move him back and onto the ground. She didn't expect him to knock out after he drank the antidote, but here he was, unconscious and unaware of what has happened.

When she finally had him settled on the floor, the snow around them diminished and she took a seat next to him. Resting her bad arm in her lap, she reached out with her good hand and touched it against his chest. He still had a heartbeat. With a sigh, she looked around the room, not sure what exactly she was searching for.

After a moment, she drew her attention back to him. Narrowing her eyes, she stretched her body over his and leaned across his body, touching a hand to his cheek. He was cold, but she expected that, especially after she surrounded him with layers of snow.

It was a relief to know that she didn't freeze him to death though.

As another sigh escaped her, she brushed her fingers over his cheek and without another thought, smacked her hand against his face repeatedly.

"All right, its time to wake up now." She said, "Nap time is over."

Zoro's face twisted in irritation and it seconds, his eye opened and he was quick to take a tight hold of Mae's wrist, "Would you quit that!"

"Hey," Mae beamed down at him, "you're awake."

"Yeah, I'm awake." Zoro grunted, pulling himself up onto his elbows, their faces becoming intimately close. "What happened?"

Mae fumbled with her words, the closeness between them throwing her off. Clearing her throat, she collapsed back on her butt and crossed her legs over one another.

"A lot."

"Where's Reih?"

"Oh," Mae blinked a couple of times, having forgotten all about him. "You know, I've been preoccupied with another pain in the ass, that I compeletly forgot about him."

"Don't feel bad." Reih's voice came from the other side of the room, the man leaning against a door's frame.

Zoro turned his head to the man, but Mae kept her back to him. Neither of them said a word.

"That was some show," Reih said, clearing the silence in the air, "I'm curious though. How did you know where to find Emiliee's antidote?"

Mae finally stood up, her left arm hanging limp at her side, no longer useful. "I'm glad you were entertained, but now that the show is over-" she grunted, snow gathering on the floor around them, "-I'm ready to finally shut you up."

Standing from the floor, Zoro adjusted his swords against his waist and then took a step next to Mae. "I've done enough talking. I'm ready to fight."

"You're not enjoying our conversation?" Reih hummed, flicking his braid over his shoulder, "That's okay. I was bored anyway."

Before Mae could make a move, Zoro held his arm out and extended his sword out in front of her. "I don't know what happened," he muttered, "but leave him up to me. You need to find Ma'."

Pausing her actions, "Wait," Mae looked at Zoro from the corner of her eye, "you don't remember what happened?"

"He won't remember what he did for a couple of hours." Reih interjected, "The antidote cleared up the mess in his puny head, but it won't bring back his memories instantly."

"I see." Mae mumbled, thinking back to their previous fight. Reaching a finger to her lips, she thought for a moment before turning her attention back to Reih who was moving in the corner of her eye.

Reih lifted both of his arms and they shifted into swords, the crystal gleaming under the room's light. At this, Zoro moved in front of Mae and kept a steady eye on Him.

Mae was hesitant to back down from the fight, but she knew that there was more that she had to take care. And she also knew that Zoro could handle himself.

Moving backwards and towards the elevators, "I've already talked to Ma'," she said, "but there's more that I need to do. I'll see you when you're done with him."

* * *

"We're in." Jael rolled across the room in his chair and came to a stop in front of a set of controls and a monitor.

Sanji fixed the helmet properly on his head, staring at the smaller screen that was connected to it. "I don't see anything. Are you sure it's on?"

"What did I tell you about talking!" A woman's shrill voice filled the room, "It's not welcomed!"

Poking a finger into his ear and wiggling it around, Jael looked over at Sanji and mouthed, "We're in."

Holding a hand to his own ear, the woman's voice almost defeaning him, Sanji nodded in agreement. Setting his mouth tight, he stared hard at the foggy screens in front of him. Turning head from right to left with the slightest motion, he attempted to catch sight of anything or anyone.

Jael pressed a button on the soundboard next to him, "This should mute us between conversations." He said.

"I can't see anything, are you sure it's working?" Sanji asked, continuing to look around the room.

"WHAT DID I SAY!" The voice came again, "I'M TRYING TO RELAX!"

With wide eyes and flustered hands, Jael pressed a couple more buttons, "Oops. Wrong button."

Sanji glowered at him. Keeping his mouth shut, he turned around in a small circle and in that second, he caught sight of a shadow in the fog. Blinking a couple of times, he squinted his eyes and stared hard at the figure. And as the steam started to diminish, he almost fell over at the sight.

"She's-" he muttered, his eyes widening.

"-Naked!" Jael finished, jumping up from his chair and standing directly in front of the monitor with his face pressed against it.

"Oh, what a sight!" Sanji squealed, "You have the body of a goddess!"

"Excuse me?" The woman sounded less shrill, "Do you really think so?"

"I haven't seen such beauty!" Sanji waved a hand in the air, trying to clear up a mess of steam.

"You're just saying that!" The woman's voice raised, sounding shrill again, "I guess I've been dieting! Has it been working!?"

"With a body like that," Sanji swooned, "who needs to diet!"

"Ah!" The woman's blush could be heard in her voice, "GN 17 you're too kind!"

"What are you doing?" Another whispered voice filled the room, this time it was a man.

Jael looked at the corner of the monitor and caught sight of another GN solider. Almost forgetting where they were, he faced Sanji and waved a hand at him, trying to get his attention. Sanji was in his own world though and didn't pay any mind to him.

"You're going to screw this up." Jael muttered to himself, looking back at the screen.

"We aren't supposed to speak to Trist." The man spoke again, worry in his tone, "She doesn't permit it."

When the name Trist reached Jael's ears, his mouth fell open and his eyes dilated. He was so focused on her breasts, that he didn't even think to identify her.

"She's an elder," he whispered to himself, his eyes scanning her face. Shoving his chair aside, he stomped over to Sanji and shoved his shoulder roughly, almost knocking him over.

Sanji, irritated, jerked away and looked at Jael, "Don't ruin this for me!" he snarled loudly.

Jael bobbed his head in disbelief and jerked his hand towards the monitor, "She's an elder." He mouthed as clear as possible.

"Don't ruin this for you?" The man said quietly, his voice barely a whisper, "You're going to get both of us and our families killed."

"Enough bickering you two!" Trist giggled, obviously still high from the compliments, "I need someone to wash my back! And since my slave isn't here to do it-"

Before Trist could even finish her sentence, Sanji was already waddling through the water and blindly making his way towards the woman.

"You're too kind!" She shrieked as he stopped in front of her, "Just make sure that you scrub me good!"

Sanji's nose spat out blood as Trist's hand appeared from the steam and held out a sponge. "I'll make sure you're spotless!"

Deciding to give up on Sanji, Jael walked back to the control system and plopped down in the chair. Slapping a hand over his face, he rubbed it roughly and inclined his head back. "This isn't good."

"Typically I don't want you to talk," Trist excused, "but I can't deny compliments, even from someone like you."

"I could compliment you all day!" Sanji assured her, taking a hold of the sponge, dipping it into the water and then pressing it against her back.

Jael rolled his eyes at the scene. Kicking his legs up on the control board, he leaned back and crossed his arms behind his head. "Might as well enjoy a naked woman while it lasts." He muttered to himself, his eyes tracing the curves of her perfect body.

* * *

"Where is he?" Luffy demanded, standing over the two guards who were now down on their knees.

The bald guard stretched his hand over and took a hold of the other man's shoulder, "Don't say anything, Jacen."

"Why do you want to know?" Jacen asked, ignoring the command and shrugging the man's hand off.

"Because he's hurt a lot of people."

Jacen placed a hand on the wall and used it for support as he stood up from the ground. "And why do you care if he's hurt anyone?"

"A friend of mine is upset," Luffy answered, "and I promised that I'd help her."

"Is she a slave?" Jacen continued to press for answers.

"No," Luffy said, "she's one of my crew members. And she doesn't like what's going on here. And the more I look around, the more I want to end this."

Jacen let his eyes rest on the top of his shoes and then he looked over at his partner from the corner of his eye, "Haru."

"No." The man shook his head and stood up, his hand reaching for the sword on his back, "Don't be foolish. No one can win this fight."

At the man's words, Luffy shifted his foot tight against the pavement and put a hand against his own upper arm. Tightening his fingers into a fist, he stared hard at the two men, "I won't lose against any of you! I will become the King of the Pirates!"

"And the King of the Pirates never loses!" Brox shouted from behind the crates.

Haru looked around Luffy and then suspiciously looked back at the him, "A pirate? I should have known. What makes you think that we'll-"

"Follow me." Jacen interrupted, "I can take you to him."

"Are you stupid?" Haru barked, swiping his sword from his back and holding it out in front of him, "What makes you think that I'd even let you do that?!"

Jacen frowned, "And what makes you think that I'd let you stop me? After what I've learned today, I'd rather die than go on living this lie!"

"And what about your family?"

"They'd be ashamed of me if I _didn't_ do anything to stop this." Jacen faltered, hesitation in his words, "Or at least, tried to stop it."

"Great!" Luffy perked up, walking around the sword, "Then take me to this head guy!"

"I can't allow it. You might not care about your life, or your family," Haru snarled, "but I have a daughter and I'd rather live a lie than see her hurt!"

"I'm not going to fight you." Jacen warned him, "I know you're scared, but why can't you see that maybe he's our chance to-"

"To what? One man can't stop them."

"He's not the only one!" Brox shouted again, his voice carrying around the barrels and crates.

Jacen looked over his shoulder and then shook his head, dismissing the random voice, "Haru, come on. This is our chance."

Haru lifted his sword up and pointed it at Jacen, "I won't let you take him."

"What the!?" Jacen exclaimed, jumping back as Luffy's leg extended from a good distance and swiped Haru right off of his feet and into the wall, breaking the concrete.

"We're wasting time," Luffy said, "show me where to go!"

Jacen stumbled back and looked between the broken wall and Luffy, "But, wait, what, how?!"

Coming around the crates, Brox offered a meek smile, "I can't explain that one."

Luffy stretched his leg back and straightened up. Fixing the hat on his head, he grinned and took a hold of his cheek, stretching it out, "I'm made of rubber!"

* * *

"And what do we have here?"

Calmly, Robin uncrossed her leg and glanced over her shoulder, acknowledging the person behind her. When she saw that there were twenty soldiers, she stood up and turned around to greet them with a smile, but she didn't say anything.

"I said," one of the soldiers moved forward, "what do we have here?"

"Robin!" From the other side of the streets, Franky appeared with a group of slaves, "Are you all right?!"

Continuing to hold a smile, she nodded, "I'm fine."

Nodding in return, Franky turned to the slaves behind him, "You might want to stay back. This is going to get messy."

Aury emerged from the group, "He's right. This isn't going to be a clean fight."

"Ow!" Franky shouted, "What are you doing here?! I thought that you had another plan to work on?!"

Aury played with his beard, thumbing through the hair, "My men and I planned to take them down." He replied, nudging his towards the GN soldiers, "They just happen to be here."

"I see." Franky mumbled, holding his chin, "Well, what are we waiting for? This will be quick."

"No," Aury said, "This won't be easy. These men aren't normal soldiers."

"What do you mean?" Franky asked, "They look normal to me."

"These are GN soldiers. Special made robots created by the elder's engineers."

"Robots?"

"Yes and they're controlled by guards across the Kingdom." Aury explained.

"Robots or not, I'm ready to take them down!" Franky decided.

"It won't be that simple." Aury pointed towards one of the GN soldiers, "Do you see that number on his robe?"

Squinting, Franky looked hard at the soldier and then back at Aury, "Yeah, so what?"

"Every GN soldier is ranked from one to one-hundred. The higher the number, the more dangerous they are."

"Really?" Franky looked back at the soldiers, only able to read a couple of their numbers, "I see an eighty."

"And if eighty is among them, then that means eighty-one through one-hundred are here as well."

"How do you know?"

"Because the elders always send them out as a group when it's needed."

"And it's needed?"

"The slaves are running wild and a rebellion is beginning," Aury explained, "I'm positive that the elders find it necessary to use them."

* * *

"That's not what it's like down there!"

"GN 20." Emiliee didn't acknowledge Usopp, "Please take care of him and the three others that are behind that curtain."

"Ma'am." GN 20 bowed his head, "What would you like me to-"

Emiliee let out a long breath, "I swear, my creatures have more commmon sense. Just take care of them!"

The soldier didn't look up, "Yes ma'am." He excused, lowering his head and then moving from the stage.

Brook attempted to take a step back from the stage while Emiliee was focused on the television screens, but when he tried to lift his foot, he found that he couldn't.

"You didn't think that I'd let someone like you go so easily." Emiliee smiled, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "Sit tight. I'll be with you soon."

"What is this?" Brook mumbled, straining against a substance that stuck to his foot.

"I said," Emiliee raised her hand up and flicked her wrist, the same substance on the floor, flinging from her finger tips and against Brook's mouth, "Sit tight."

"MMM?!" Jerking his head back, Brook touched the sticky goo on his mouth, trying to pry it off, "MMM!"

Suddenly, Chopper threw himself onto the stage and crawled towards Brook, "AAAAH!"

Following after him with a rope in one hand, GN 20 shifted his other hand into a blade. Slamming it into the floor, "Come back here dog!" he shouted, narrowly missing Chopper's leg.

Behind the two, Usopp apeared, holding up his Kuro Kabuto. Aiming it directly at the man, he strung it back and prepared to attack. "The Sniper King won't lose!"

"Did you really think that we'd be taken down so easily?" Nami threw aside the curtain and moved next to Usopp, holding the clima-tact at her side.

Crawling right into the substance that surrounded Brook's feet, Chopper turned against it, "What is this?!"

Trying to hold a smile, "You're ruining the show." Emiliee angrily bit between her teeth.

Nami spun the clima-tact in the air, "The shows over." She decided, catching the staff in her hand and pointing it dangerously at the woman.

* * *

Now that Ma' had the information, and Zoro was taking care of Reih, Mae decided that she would look for another way to help out. When she thought more about where she could lend a helping hand, Brox crossed her mind. The last time that she had seen him, he was being taken away by two guards.

Just thinking about the scene caused her stomach to turn with guilt. While Zoro was able to save her, she was not able to save Brox. Saliva built up in her mouth and she couldn't help but feel responsible for him and what happened. Even then though, she knew that dwelling on the matter was not going to solve it and that the only way she could to help him was to find him.

With haste steps, she began to sprint through the streets of the Kingdom. She half expected to see hundreds of slaves running loose, and soldiers doing what they could to stop them, but instead the streets were empty.

It wasn't long though, until an outcry of men sent her stumbling in her footwork. Coming to a stop next to an empty store, she pressed her back against the building and sucked in a breath. Leaning over, she took a look around the wall and examined the surrounding area.

Nearby, she caught sight of seven soldiers and five slaves who were on their knees with their hands cuffed behind their backs. While six of the soldiers stood back, one of them circled around the slaves and slammed the hilt of his sword against the back of their necks repeatedly.

Mae gnawed on her upper lip. Finally, when another blow was made, she maneuvered around the wall and with a spry flick of the wrist, covered the roads around them in snow. Then, without waiting for them to process what was going on, she climbed the snow up their limbs and not long after, had their entire bodies covered in snow.

Without waiting another second, Mae moved behind the slaves and knelt down. Covering the chains around their wrists and freezing them, she took a hold of each of their forearms and yanking them apart, snapping the cuffs one by one.

Once the men were freed, they stood up simultaneously and turned around to confront who it was that saved them. Mae on the other hand, continued to kneel down on the ground, her attention on something, someone, else.

In the distance, she noticed that a soldier was worming his way around the buildings, looking rather anxious. And with him, two others were following close behind. She couldn't see who one of the men were, due to the fact that they were already through a door and inside the building, but the other person was as clear as day.

Immediately she stood up and stumbled her way towards them. As she moved further away from the slaves, she could hear them shouting their thanks, but all she could do was focus on getting inside that building.

Standing in front of the closed door, Mae looked up and noticed that the building was connected to a tower. Glancing over her shoulder and looking behind her, she muffled a few words under her breath. She didn't realize that she was standing in the tower's court yard.

Rolling her head back and taking a hold of the doorknob, Mae took a side glance before moving inside. She was hoping to see the two men, who she assumed were the soldiers that took Brox, and Brox himself, but instead she came face to face with three hallways.

Inclining her head back, "You've got to be kidding me." She groaned.

Deciding that the only way to catch up with them was to keep going, she adjusted herself straight and advanced down one of the hallways. Opening and closing door after door, she proceeded to look for them without stopping.

Not long after, she reached the last door in the first hallway. From inside, she could hear voices and without processing her next move, she swung the door open.

Suddenly, she was greeted by a cloud of steam and began to cough violently, inhaling too much of the hot air. Trying to clear the fog from her vision, waving a hand in front of her, Mae stepped into the room.

At first, she couldn't make out anything, but the more she concentrated, the more she could pick out images. Just to the right of her was a shadowed figured, and she made note of them and when she looked to the center of the room, she noticed two other figures.

"You're bleeding all over me!" A woman shouted, "You need to get out of my bath! How is it even possible for you to bleed, you're a robot!"

"Ah-" A man exclaimed, "Please don't make me stop!"

"How can I not!" The woman screamed, "You need to go back to your post GN 17! Now! GN 18, get him out of my bath!"

"Ma'am." From the side, the shadowed figure moved from his position and stepped into the middle of the room.

Mae watched quietly as the figure lifted the other man up from the floor and dragged him across the room. She could barely make the scene out, but she could tell that the four of them were the only ones in the room. And assuming that she hadn't been seen, Mae silently took a step back and attempted to find the door.

"Oh! And you!" The woman shouted, her voice carrying across the room, "Don't think that I didn't see you!"

Stopping in her footwork, "Uhm-" Mae swallowed down a knot in her throat, "Wrong room."

A high-pitched laugh echoed, "Wait just a minute! I know who you are!"

Reaching her hand back, Mae felt around for the door while taking another step back, "You do?"

"I've seen that tattoo before!"

Mae stopped what she was doing and narrowed her eyes dangerously at the shadowed figure, "How can you see my tattoo?"

The woman smirked, "I control steam." She explained, manupilating the steam and pushing it across the room, clearing a path between them.

Mae looked at the steam that swelled around the woman's waist and then lifted her eyes to meet her own, "How do you know who I am?"

With a conniving smile, she flicked strands of green hair over her shoulder, "I've done my research, Commodore."

Mae's finger tips twitched and without delay, she thrusted her right arm out and sent a wave of snow around the room, creating a blizzard. Once the blizzard stirred up violently, whipping across their skin, she built up a wall of snow behind her, creating a barrier between them and the door.

"Ma'am!" GN 18 called out, preparing to defend her, small cannons appearing at the center of his torso.

GN 17, who was on the ground in a daze, raised one arm and then let it flop back down, "Trist, my beauty!"

"I can handle myself!" Trist screamed irritably, waving a dismissing hand in their direction, "I'm not weak!"

Turning her attention back to Mae, she cackled "You've just blocked your only exit! Now you have nowhere to run!"

Mae cracked her neck and then with one quick movement, sent a wave of cold air at Trist, removing the steam that built up around her.

Raising her hands up and rubbing them vigorously over her body, "Oh no, you're making it so cold!" Trist mocked, "Like that's going to make me run!"

Continuously stirring the blizzard, making sure that the steam was pushed back, "You should have let me go." Mae whispered, her feet crunching in the snow as she moved slowly towards her.

Brushing snow off of her breast, Trist shrugged her shoulder carelessly and looked to her side, "And why's that?"

Jumping forward and twisting herself into snow, Mae blended her body in with the blizzard, slipping through the piles of snow she created. Quick to move behind Trist, she wrapped her right arm around her and brought her in a tight embrace, "Because now I can't let you go."


	27. (XXVII) The Luminous Island Part 20

© Eiichiro Oda

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 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **Chapter 7 has been re-written. It explains a few things more clearly.**

 **:)**

 **Chapter Updates can be found on my profile.**

 **The next chapter has already been started, so it shouldn't take too long to push it out.**

 **For now, enjoy chapter 27!**

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 **Have a great rest of your week!**

* * *

Leaning around a corner, Jacen held a hand out to keep Luffy from going any further. "There are two guards outside of his door." He whispered, pulling himself back and facing the two.

Luffy nodded in understanding, but even then, he took a side step and moved out into the open. And without warning, he stretched his arms back and thrusted them forward at a rapid speed, "Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!"

The sudden outburst threw Jacen back and he held onto the wall for support, "What are you doing?!" He exclaimed loudly, "That's not what we planned!" He continued, looking over at the broken doorway.

Brox threw a fist up, "That was awesome!" He cheered with excitement.

Snapping his arms back, Luffy didn't bother to wait another second and headed down the hallway. "I'm going in!" He decided, making his way through the hole in the wall.

"And so am I!" Brox hollered, preparing to follow after him.

As he took a step though, Jacen reached out and grabbed him by the hair, "Oh no you don't," He said, "you'll just get in the way."

Brox wrenched his head from his hold. "No I won't!" He exclaimed, "He needs my help!"

"Did you _not_ see that?!" Jacen pointed to the mess that Luffy left behind, "You'd be killed in a second if you got between him and the Head!"

Crossing his arms over his chest, Brox looked away, "I can handle myself!"

With a frown, Jacen looked him up and down, "Have you _seen_ yourself?"

"It's not that bad." Brox mumbled, touching his swollen cheek.

"Your arm looks out of place, you have a bruised face and you're covered in scrapes." Jacen sighed and turned his back on Brox. Walking to one of the hundreds of windows along the wall, he looked out, "You're a mess."

Brox looked at the broken door and then back at Jacen. With a defeated sigh, he shuffled next to the guard, "Well, what are you going to do?"

Jacen furrowed his eyebrows. Leaning his arm on the windowsill and resting his forehead against it, he let out a long breath. "I don't know what I can do."

Brox kicked his heel against the ground thoughtfully, "You could always..." He mumbled, "Fight."

Pulling himself up, "Fight?" Jacen repeated, pondering over the word.

"What else can you do but fight? I know if my dad were here, he'd fight."

Jacen looked down at a gathering of people on the streets, "I suppose," He said, observing the dispute, "there isn't a choice in the matter anymore."

* * *

"And you thought that this was going to be easy?" Aury groaned, straining to hold back a guard's sword with a metal tube.

Franky bent his body backwards and slammed one of the guards onto the ground. "What are you talking about?" He grinned, bringing himself up right, "This is easy!"

"Franky!" Robin shouted, but before he could turn around to defend himself, she sprouted a hand and swiped away two men, knocking them clear across the kingdom.

Franky grinned, throwing a punch against an oncoming man's stomach, "Thanks!"

"Shouldn't we get the rest of the guys out of out here?!" One of Aury's men shouted over the clash of his metal pipe against a guard's armor.

Aury looked over at the group that Robin was holding back, "We'll need to keep the GN soldiers and guards off of them!"

"Robin," Franky jumped back, avoiding an attack, "can you take them while we hold these scum back?"

Robin sprouted a pair of legs, stomping them against the ground and in front of the fence of hands that kept the slaves secured. Fifty or more guards who had come on the scene earlier, scattered and jumped back, attempting to avoid the giant feet.

Looking at the slaves, Robin frowned. She knew that the men didn't trust them and that moving them from one spot to the next wasn't going to be easy.

Before she could say anything, a slave pushed against one of the hands and pried through the fingers. It was the small boy that Franky had met earlier. Poking his arm and head out, he waved to Robin, "We told everyone about the plan! We are ready when you are!"

Robin's frown shifted into a smile and she released the hands, standing in front of the group. "Lead the way, I will protect you from behind."

"And we'll make sure to keep them off you!" Franky waved before plowing down a handful of guards, "Where do these guys keep coming from?!" He voiced.

"Leave the them up to us!" Aury instructed Franky, pounding his fist into one of the men, "Take care of the GN soldiers!"

Scratching at his head, Franky stopped what he was doing and looked between the two groups. Exmaining the soldiers, he nodded with a grin, "Got it! Can you handle the rest?"

Aury jumped into the air and came back down, his clenched hand smashing against the ground and breaking it under a group of guards. "They'll be easy! It's the GN soldiers you have to worry about!"

Franky smirked, raising his hand up and pointing an open palm towards the soldiers, "I can take care of these guys!"

At a blinding speed, bullets shot out and hammered against the robots, but they didn't pierce their shell.

Grabbing at his chin, Franky looked at the palm of his hand and then back at the soliders, "So bullets won't work?" He mumbled to himself before perking up. "Or do I need to use more ammunition?!" With a crazed look, he lifted his hand back up and sprayed another set of bullets in their direction.

Once the last bullet smacked against their chest and fell to the ground, the soldiers raised their own fist in the air. Unclenching their hands, they faced open palms at him in return.

Confused, Franky watched for a split second and then jumped back as bullets shot at his feet, "Woah!" He exclaimed, raising his forearm up and deflecting the attack.

"They have a tricks up their robes!" One of Aury's men shouted, slamming his elbow on the back of a guard's neck, preventing him from following after Robin and the slaves.

"Men, I need your attention on our fight! We can't let these guards follow the others!" Aury ordered, extending his arms out on either side of him, punching two guards out.

"Right!" The five men shouted in unison.

Franky watched Aury and his men before turning his attention back to soldiers. With a grin, he shifted in his stance with his legs spread apart, "I've got a few tricks of my own!"

The soldiers positioned themselves in a circle around Franky, preparing for battle. What they didn't realize though, was that Franky was about to give them a war.

"Strong right!"

Franky's fist launched forward and collided with two of the soldiers, knocking them back and disconnecting their heads from their bodies. Reeling the chain back, he adjusted his position.

"Two down!" He flexed, "Eighteen more to go!"

Positioning himself, he raised his arm back up, "Strong right!"

Hurling another attack, he aimed for two other soldiers. This time though, they were prepared for the attack. Raising their hands up, they caught Franky's fist before it could crush them.

When he tried to reel it back, another solider, GN 92, stepped forward and stood next to the chain. Raising a single arm in the air, he shifted it into a spear and then thrusted it downward. Sticking it between a single loop in the chain, he pinned it down.

"Crap." Franky grumbled, the cogs in his arm grinding as they strained to bring his fist back.

From behind him, GN 90 appeared. He towered in height, his shadow cascading over Franky.

"Huh?" Franky inclined his head back and stared up at the robot.

As GN 90 hovered over him, he raised both of his arms up and shifted them into two hooked swords. And while he did this another soldier, GN 82, appeared in front of him with two clamps for hands. Kneeling, he buckled down on both of Franky's legs and held him in his place.

"Hey now!" Franky jerked against his hold, "You're playing dirty!"

Lifting the hooked swords, GN 90 pressed them to Franky's throat. Just when he prepared to bring them back and decapitate him, a foot came out of nowhere and slammed against his chest. The soldier stumbled back, but he was barely effected by the surprise attack.

"What the," Franky looked at the newcomer, "who are you?!"

"Jacen, he's coming back!" Brox shouted taking a step out from his hiding spot.

"What did I tell you?" Jacen shouted back, "Stay back!"

Brox zipped his mouth shut and stepped back behind a wall, peeking out just enough to see the fight.

"Jacen, huh?" Franky grunted as he pried his legs from GN 82's hold, "Are you one of the-"

"There's no time to talk!" Jacen jumped back, avoiding GN 90's attack, "Just know I'm on your side!"

"Right!" Franky swung his fist into GN 82's side and smacked him across the road and into GN 92, knocking them both into a nearby window.

Shocked to see such strength, Jacen's attention was now on Franky and he looked him up and down, "What are you?! A robot?!"

Franky let out an over exaggerated sigh and then with a prideful stance, he flexed, "I'm a cyborg!"

Ducking down and evading another attack from GN 90, Jacen swung his leg under the robot and attempted to knock him down. He was agile though, and avoided it.

Picking himself back up, Jacen looked over at Franky, "I don't know who you are, but I'm happy to work along side you, Cyborg."

"Jacen!" Brox exclaimed, jumping out and pointing to an approaching soldier, "I think I've been seen!"

"Crap!" Jacen advanced toward the solider, but he was stopped in mid run by GN 90, the soldier hooking his sword around his ankle and yanking him down.

"Go away!" Brox shouted, raising two fists in the air, "I'll break you!"

"Brox," Jacen crawled forward and extended his arm out, "you need to get out of here! He's not like any guard, he'll kill you!"

The GN soldier, GN 85, came to a stop in front of Brox and raised an open palm in his direction.

Scared, Brox stumbled and tripped backwards, collapsing onto the ground. Raising his arms up and closing his eyes tight, he waited for what was to come next. Flinching as the sound of bullets echoed off of the walls, he prepared to be hit.

But as the bullets continued to fire, they didn't touch him. Opening his eyes sloiwly, he looked between his arms and caught sight of a man behind the soldier. He was holding him tight, forcing his arm in another direction. Because of this, the bullet's course was changed.

Suprised and in shock, Brox couldn't rouse his legs to move. And as the soldier was shoved aside, his mouth opened and a whimper escaped him. He couldn't believe what was in front of him and he couldn't tell if he was seeing things.

"D-Dad?!"

Aury wiped sweat from his forehead, "Get back, Brox!" He demanded, keeping a close eye on GN 85 and stepping between them.

Finally finding the strength in his legs, Brox stood up and moved towards him, "B-But how?!"

Thrusting his arm outward, Aury kept Brox behind him, "I said get back!"

With a firm nod, Brox shuffled back behind the building. Of course, he couldn't help but peek around the wall and watch with eagerness. To see is dad alive, in front of him, made him think that everything was just a dream.

Jacen did a back flip and slammed his feet into GN 90's chest in the process. Landing back on his feet, he turned around and looked in Aury's direction, "Is the boy okay?!"

Aury spun the metal pipe in his hands, fending off another round of bullets that GN 85 shot, "He's fine! Don't let your guard down!"

Running across the road, Jacen grabbed a hold of GN 90's shoulders and hopped over him, slamming his feet into the back of the soldier and sending him forward. As he landed on the ground, his mouth parted in pain and he lost a breath of air.

Moaning, he turned around and with a silent curse, stood back up. He was doing more damage to himself than GN 90.

Dragging his hooked swords into the pavement, GN 90 started to walk towards Jacen, the ground tearing in half at each step. And it wasn't long until he picked up his momentum and headed straight for him with nimble speed.

Reaching over his shoulder, Jacen pulled out his own sword and stood ready. And just when he positioned the sword in front of him, GN 90 swung down and began to attack with precise motions.

While Jacen struggled to keep up with his constant shifts and strikes, Franky was busy holding off the rest of the GN soldiers.

Swinging a punch in one direction, Franky ducked down to avoid a soldier, GN 83, who had anvils attached to his wrists. Just as he bent down though, another soldier, GN 86, came in front of him and kneed him in the face.

Blood splattered on the ground and he stumbled back, "Ow!" He exclaimed, "You're persistant!"

Realing his arm back, he got ready to throw a punch at GN 83. But in seconds, GN 86 appeared behind him and slammed his metal fist into his back, knocking him down.

Franky groaned as his face broke the concrete. Holding an arm underneath himself, he pushed back and tried to stand up. But as he lifted his body, he was forced back down by a constant hammer of anvils.

All of the sudden though, GN 83 was knocked back and a man stood in his place.

"Need a hand?"

Franky looked at the hand that was offered to him and with a grunt, he took it and pulled himself up, "Thanks."

"Haru," Jacen slid across the ground, landing in front of the two, "What-"

Haru held a hand up, "-You were right." He said, "You were right."

"Of course I was right," Jacen frowned, "but this isn't the time. You need to get the other guards to stand down. We need their help."

"Right," Haru agreed, "I'm on it!"

Avoiding an attack from GN 86, Franky caught him by the wrist and swung him around, "Where's he going!?" He asked, slamming the solider into the ground.

"He's going to do what's right." Jacen answered, watching as Haru ran towards the cluster of guards.

Turning his attention back to GN 90, who was advancing quick and heading straight for him, Jason groaned and prepared for another brawl. "You just won't give up, will you?"

Franky furrowed his eyebrows, but he didn't say anything. Looking over at GN 83, he started to laugh. His anvils were now lodged in the ground and he couldn't move.

Moving over to him, Franky stretched his arm back and then punched it forward, knocking his head clean off. "How's that feel, buddy?!"

Just as he did this, GN 100 came behind him and swung his arms down, breaking the ground around them.

Pouncing forward, "You don't waste time, huh?" Franky snorted, easily avoiding the attack.

GN 100 rotated his shoulders and while he did this, his arms shifted into chigiriki's.

Inclining his head to the side, "Ow!" Franky shouted, watching the solider prepare for battle, "This will be fun!"

The solider started to swing his arms in a circular motion, the chigiriki's becoming near invisible due to the speed that they were producing. And in seconds, he initiated the fight, slamming attacks down and pursing Franky without mercy.

Light-Footed, Franky evaded the attacks and put a distance between them. Stretching his arm out, he turned his hand aside and revealed a cannon in his arm. Not waiting for GN 100 to take another step, he fired and he continued to launch cannon balls until the surrounding area was covered in dust and debris.

Slamming into the ground next to Franky, Jacen looked up at him, "How's it going?" He asked, wiping blood from his jaw.

Franky didn't hear him though, too preoccupied by his own battle.

Bobbing his head and standing back up, Jacen saluted, "Good to know!" He grinned before directing his attention back to GN 90.

"Jacen!" Haru called, appearing from a dust cloud, "Jacen!"

Squinting his eyes, Jacen watched as Haru surfaced with the remaining guards behind him, "You-"

"We've come to an agreement!" Haru shouted, coming to a stop and motioning to the men around him.

Dropping his shoulders and gesturing his hands out, Jacen let out an impatient breath, "And?"

One of the guards took a step next to Haru, "We're ready to end this."

* * *

With the audience's attention now on the stage, Emiliee was careful with her movements. Because every eye was on her, the murmurs building up from the crowds, she didn't want to alarm anyone.

"GN 20," She bit between a clenched smile, keeping a firm eye on Nami, "An update please."

"An update?"

Emiliee growled under her breath, but continued to hold a feign smile, "Yes, an update."

"There is a lot that I could update you on-"

"The slaves," She bellowed, her hair flipping roughly over her shoulder as she jerked her head and faced him, "What is the status!"

GN 20 stumbled back at her fit of rage. Quick to regain his composure though, he shifted his hand back to normal and stood at attention, "Most of the slaves have been taken care of and sent back underground, but-"

Without waiting for him to finish, Emiliee turned on her heel and faced the citizens. Holding a finger to her ear, she mumbled a few words under her breath while watching the perplexed people in front of her.

They were becoming more animated in their gestures as they tried to figure out exactly what was going on.

Holding a single hand up, she offered them a smile, "Thank you for your patience."

Everyone settled down as she started to speak.

"Everything has been taken care of. Please take instructions from each guard at the entrance and make your way, in an orderly manner, out of the court yard and to your homes. I recommend that you stay within your homes until you are reached out through the Kingdom's broadcast."

Immediately after she finished her instructions, everyone headed to the nearest entrance and started to push their way through, barely acknowledging the guards that tried to keep them in order.

"Now," Emiliee let her smile fade as she looked over her shoulder at the group, "where were we?"

* * *

"Ma'am with all due respect-"

"GN 18," Trist articulated irritably, "what did I tell you?!"

"Maybe you should accept his help." Mae said in a low voice, tightening the hold around Trist's waist.

Trist leaned against Mae and inclined her head back, "I can handle myself." She countered, steam whirpooling around their waists and penatrating into the snow that gripped them in place.

Mae watched as the snow dissolved around them. Securing her arm just under Trist's breasts, she tested her left arm. To no avail, it stayed at her side and refused to function.

Pressing her forehead against Mae's chin, Trist mocked her with a flirtatious smile, "Whats wrong? You seem annoyed!"

Mae looked down at her, "That's because you're annoying."

Trist evaporated her way through Mae's hold and turned around to face her, "I think you're just annoyed because-"

"Because you sound like finger nails on a chalk board?" Mae answered questionably, pushing away steam that snuck around her waist.

"No," Trist smirked, "I think you're more annoyed at the fact that I know who you are."

Mae pressed her lips tight together and a thick blizzard began to brew around her. Building snow up beneath her, she raised herself above the water.

"Oh, what a cute trick!" Trist sang, her shrill voice echoing around them. "I'm curious though," She hummed, "How long have you been able to do that? Last I read, you didn't have a devil fruit power!"

Mae didn't answer and instead, stayed quiet.

"All right," Trist twirled steam around her hand playfully, "don't answer me. Do you at least know who I am? I mean, I know almost everything about you."

"I'm assuming that you're someone I was going to have to fight eventually."

Trist stopped playing with the steam and looked Mae directly in the eyes. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to save these people."

With an over exagerated sigh and an eye roll, "No, why are _you_ here?" She asked again.

"What do you mean?"

Drawing pictures with the steam, Trist kept eye contact with Mae, "Aren't you usually the one to stay out of controversy? I don't recall you stepping into battle. That's not part of your-"

"-Who I am, and what I do is none of your business." Mae snarled, throwing a dagger of snow through the steam that Trist played with.

"It's my business when you bring your work to _our_ island and mess with _our_ arrangements!"

"Arrangements?!" Mae shouted, her anger boiling over, "These people never agreed to what you put them through!"

Trist barked out a laugh, "Are you telling me that you actually have a heart for these people?!"

Mae fumbled over her words, "I-"

"I know what you've done," Trist paused, "or what you _haven't_ done."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"And out of all the times you've stood around and watched helpless people die, what is it now that's changed your mind?!"

"It's not that I've changed my mind," Mae snapped, "It's the fact that for once, I'm not going stand around and watch innocent people get hurt!"

"Why's this time different?"

Mae let the blizzard build up around her. "It doesn't concern you."

"What did I _just_ tell you?!" She screeched, "It concerns me when you step foot on my island and try to play god!"

Mae's lips parted slightly, but she didn't say another word. Instead, she thrusted an attack towards Trist and buried her in a wave of wind and snow.

Trist was fast to deflect the attack though, creating a shield of steam around herself; the hot air circulating and melting the oncoming blizzard.

Mae knew that she was at a disadvantage against Trist's steam, but even then, that didn't stop her from pursing her. And without wasting time, she pushed forward.

* * *

Jael observed the monitors with a careful eye and kept an open ear. He couldn't see what was going on, due to the fact that GN 17 was laying face first on the floor, but he could hear every word that was being said.

After listening for a minute or two though, he decided to flip a switch and turn the sound off. He had a strong feeling that Mae wouldn't want that particular conversation on record or being heard by Sanji.

Once the silence filled the room, he spun around in his chair and sighed, looking down at Sanji who was passed out from blood loss. "I swear, we're never going to be able to shut down the systems at this rate."

* * *

Zoro's swords clashed with the crystal swords that formed out of Reih's arms. For what seemed like hours, the two continued to collide with each other; neither of them ready to back down.

An overlay of shards stuck out from the walls, ceiling and floor. And with cunning strides, Reih danced Zoro towards them, hoping that he would be able to lead him directly into one and leave him for dead.

With each step though, Zoro made sure to cut down the crystal.

And while Reih was quick on his feet and took advantage of his devil fruit powers, Zoro was just as agile.

"Give up?"

Zoro drove Reih back with his swords, "Do you ever shut up?"

As he was pushed back, his footwork sliding against the floor, Reih shoved one of his arms into the ground and stopped himself from being pushed out of the gaping hole in the tower.

"You're going to have to try harder, boy."

"I'm just getting started."

Jumping back and bringing a distance between them, Zoro imbued busoshoku haki into his three swords. As he did this, he became surrounded by a dark aura, having activated kick kyutoryu: Asura at the same time.

As the ground beneath them began to shake, Reih fixed himself upright and he watched with a careful eye. An illusion was created in front of him and he couldn't comprehend if Zoro was actually holding nine swords or if it was a trick of the mind.

Zoro didn't give Reih time to process the predicament that he was in though and charged forward. And with a quick foot, he cut into him. Shocked, Reih stood with his mouth wide open and at that moment, all he could do was watch as his white braid was chopped right off and sent flying across the room.


	28. (XXVIII) The Luminous Island Part 21

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

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 **N . O . T . E . S**

 **I just finished making fudge. My house smells really yummy. :)**

 **And I bet every your houses smell amazing too!**

 **Be safe this weekend and enjoy your break!**

 **And for those new followers, you're awesome! And for those old followers, thanks for sticking with me!**

 **:)**

* * *

GN 100 swung sharp and landed an unswerving blow to Franky's face, sending him flying back and through a building.

From a distance Jacen, who saw the entire thing, considered lending a helping hand. But he dismissed the idea when Franky climbed out of the wreckage with a confident smirk and dusted the rubble right off his shoulder.

Stepping over the debris and walking out of the hole in the wall, Franky lifted his arm up. Focused on GN 100, he prepared to pitch another attack. As he put the target on the solider though, his eyes caught wind of disarrangement in the streets. In the background he noticed that the guard's aggression was no longer focused on them. Rather, they had their weapons drawn and pointed at the remaining GN soldiers.

Confused, Franky watched them for a moment and then looked over at Jacen who continued to battle with GN 90 head on. The man was wearing down fast, and he was barely able to deflect an attack. Franky could also see that he was badly wounded with blood dripping from a giant gash in his shoulder.

Fixating back on the other guards, Franky pursed his lips tight. He didn't have a clue what changed their mind, but he knew that if he didn't step in soon, that most of the men would lose their lives. They were regular men with regular strengths while The GN soldiers were vicious and relentless robots with unlimited power; and it was obvious that they could care less whether or not they maimed whoever stepped in their way.

As Franky thought more about the situation that they were in, Aury came to mind and he drew his eyes over to the man. He was still in a heated fight with GN 85. As he watched, he took note of the child that he was protecting the entire battle and the struggle that he was facing in order to keep him safe.

Finally, Franky brought himself back to his own fight. Connecting his arms with a T-Shaped pipe, "I was going to wait and save this," he said. "but I guess it's about time to use it."

Wanting to catch everyone's attention, he flashed his Franky Nipple lights while keeping a close eye on GN 100, "You'll want to get back for this attack!"

Instantaneously the guards stopped what they were doing and looked over at him, distracted by not only his outburst, but the flashing lights. When they stopped their defenses though and stared at him like a deer in the headlights, the GN soldiers pushed on and continued to attack them one by one.

"Oi!" Franky exclaimed, "I didn't say to stand there like statues, I said to get back!"

Landing on his back with a grunt, Jacen inclined his head and looked over at Franky. "What in the world?" he muttered, struggling to pull himself up. He couldn't figure out what Franky was planning, but he knew that if he wanted them to move, that they were going to have to move.

Holding a hand to his shoulder, the blood dripping between his fingers, he groaned in pain. Forcing himself to his feet, Jacen then took the initiative and left his own battle. Running to the guard's side, he snatched up a fallen man's sword and threw himself between them and the GN soldiers. With what strength he had left, he raised the sword and defended a man from being slaughtered by an oncoming attack.

"Men," He demanded between blood stained teeth, "We need to stand down!"

The guards shook their heads and came back to reality. Instead of standing down though, they turned their eyes to the GN soldiers and lifted their swords back up, refusing to walk away.

"I said," Jacen was being forced back by the weight of a GN soldier, his body almost touching the ground as he bent backwards, "to stand down! Stand down and give yourself distance from this area!"

Five guards screamed in agony as their bodies were skewered by two soldiers. Jacen watched in horror as they were flung into the air and across the roads. Biting his teeth down with anger, he used what strength he had to push back against the soldier that was on him, keeping him at bay. The longer he clashed with the robot though, the more powerless he became.

Franky pressed his feet firm against the ground and watched as GN 100 started to rotate his shoulders, the chigiriki's spinning faster and faster. The robot was preparing to charge again and Franky knew that his time limit to send his own attack was wearing thin. Looking back at the guards in the distance, he watched for an opportune time. He was prepared to blast every single one of the GN soldiers to the junk yard.

But the time never came and he had to disengage.

Jacen wailed out and collapsed onto the ground, his sword pressing back into his chest. "Dammit." He groaned, as the soldier proceeded to push the blade against him, the metal of his breastplate denting inward from the pressure.

Turning his head to the side, he looked over at Franky. Wanting to get his attention, he bit down on his lower lip and whistled. Unfortunately, the sound was lost in the clash of swords. Straining to hold the soldier back, Jacen tried again. Blood bubbled from his lip as he bit tight and whistled one more time.

Dodging GN 100 and grabbing onto his shoulder, Franky spun the soldier around and slammed him into the ground, the concrete breaking beneath him. Raising his arm high above him and clenching his fingers tight, he got ready to strike a blow. Just when he arched his back, a whistle rung through his ears and broke his concentration. Looking over to the left of him, he saw Jacen staring in his direction. With a grunt, he looked back down at GN 100 and without waiting another second, raised his fist higher and then struck down, smashing into the robot's chest.

A massive hole was slammed through the solider, the wires and sprockets sparking and winding down. Standing up and staring at the robot, Franky raised his lip with a grunt. Using his arm to wipe the blood from his forehead, he walked over GN 100 and faced the commotion in the streets.

The guards continued to purse the soldiers and even though they tried to hide their distress, Franky could see that their faces were inflamed by anguish.

"Whatever you were going to do," Jacen hollered out, his face contorting in pain as the soldier persistently pushed on him, "you need to do it now!"

"What?!" Franky shouted back, "It'd blow you all up!"

Franky watched the soldiers. They kept coming at the men without delay and cruel with passion. They had one goal in mind and that was to annihilate anyone in their path. And even though he was ready to send them blasting, he knew that he couldn't risk blowing everyone else up.

Jacen spat out a mouthful of blood, "We'll take care of ourselves!" he strained, "Just do it!"

Franky hesitated.

Licking the inside of his mouth, Jacen forcefully lifted his head and looked over at the remaining guards. "Men! Grab the fallen and get back! Let the cyborg take care of the rest!"

One of the guards kicked his foot into a soldier and sent him stumbling back, "We can't stand down! We're here to fight!"

"You've-" Jacen spat out more blood, "-you've done enough! Now it's time to use our senses!"

"Listen to him men and move!" Haru demanded, kneeling down next to a fallen guard and lifting the man over his back.

The guards still refused to abandoned their positions.

Fixing the man that was over his shoulder, Haru slung him around and shoved him into a guard's arms. Kneeling back down, he grabbed another wounded individual by the arm and lifted it around his neck, helping him stand. "Men!" he barked, "Stand down now! That's an order!"

The guards were dubious about turning their backs on the fight, but even then, they did as they were told. One by one they drew back.

Jacen fixed his feet on the soldier's chest and shoved him back, giving himself enough space to slip out from under him and stand back up. Waving an arm out, "Hurry up! We're wasting time!" He shouted.

"Don't leave a single man behind!" Haru ordered.

"And get as far back as possible!" Franky ordered, connecting his arms back with the T-shaped pipe.

While the men pulled back, the soldiers started to advance for them. Knowing that it'd be impossible to keep them in one place without staying behind, Jacen reached down and picked a sword off of the ground.

"Keep moving and don't look back!" He shouted over his shoulder, running towards the group of soldiers. Coming to a stop in front of them, he held his sword up and prepared to distract them.

"Hey!" Franky shouted, "You're going to need to back up for this attack!"

Jacen snorted in a breath, and fought the ache in his shoulder. Narrowing his eyes, he shifted his footwork. "Someone has to hold them back!" He shouted.

"I can't do anything until-"

"Trust me," Jacen clamored out, "I'll get out of the way!"

"It's not that easy!" Franky expressed, not keen on the idea of blowing up an innocent man.

Crying out in agony when a soldier landed a solid blow to his side, dizziness hit Jacen and he collapsed to the ground on one knee. Spitting out a cough, he helplessly looked at Franky, "Just trust me!" he pleaded.

Franky could see that he was inflexible and that he had made up his mind. With a hard stare, he watched the young guard for a brief moment and then turned his attention to the soldiers.

Jacen could see the hesitation in Franky's movements so with one last breath he shouted, "Trust me!"

As the words slipped past his lips, Franky gave him a firm nod and corrected his position, aiming for the soldiers.

"Coupe de Vent!"

* * *

Mae crashed into GN 17 and GN 18's frozen structures, gasping for a breath of air. Trist's steam was now circulating around her in a dense cloud, causing her lungs to burn for oxygen. Incompetent to hold herself up, she used GN 18's body for support. Struggling to stand, she immediately reached a hand to her neck and tried to inhale a breath and relieve her lungs. She couldn't manage to take in that breath though and her stomach lurched and throbbed.

Trist sat down on the edge of the bath and combed her fingers through her hair. Inclining her head to the side, "It looks like you're having some difficulties!" She snickered, crossing her legs.

Even though she couldn't breathe, Mae managed to use her mental strength and smother the steam with a tornado of snow. As the cold and harsh winds rushed over and assaulted the hot air, she wheezed and eagerly took in a deep breath.

"This is getting boring!" Trist yawned, leaning back on one hand. "Are we almost done? It's been hours!"

Mae swallowed a tight breath, sighed out of her nose and rubbed at her eye irritably. Rebuilding the snow on the floor and stirring up a storm, she walked towards Trist. At each step, steam began to assemble in front of her. And even though she would swipe and push it away, it was persistent and returned in seconds, attempting to smother her.

Kicking her foot gently in the bath water, the ripples dancing around her ankle, Trist smiled and patiently waited for Mae to make her move.

Coming to a stop on the other side of the bath, Mae slowly brought herself down to the floor. Laying her hand flat against the snow, she raised her eyes to meet Trist in a short gaze, "We're almost done. I promise." She whispered and then welcomed a coat of snow that rose up and covered her like a blanket. In seconds, it folded over her entire body and enclosed around her.

The snow began to take shape and in time a sculpted tigress was formed. It towered over the bath and stood at an absurd height, the back inches from the ceiling. Trist watched with a wary eye. And when Mae laid her body low to the ground and disappeared into the snow, she stood up from the floor and let a shroud of steam conceal her position.

"You're not going to hide on me now," Mae sighed, "are you?"

Trist didn't answer.

Gradually rising from the snow, Mae maintained a close position to the floor. Crouched low behind Trist, she prepared to pounce, but as her hind legs shuffled against the ground anxiously, snow dusted off of her and immediately gave her position away. And when she lunged forward, her canine teeth biting into the ground, Trist vanished in the steam.

"Nice try," Trist hummed, escaping without a scratch and appearing on the other side of the room, "but you're gonna have to do better!"

Not waiting for another second to pass, Mae drove her hind legs into the snow and at an imperceptible speed steered straight for Trist. Jumping across the bath and landing in front of the woman, she swiped her paw aggressively at her. When Trist easily side stepped the attack, Mae used quick movements and smacked her with the other paw. The action caught Trist off guard and her body was flung across the room and smashed into a nearby wall.

Mae didn't give her time to recollect herself and sprinted over to her side, a blizzard of snow following close behind. Bringing up her front legs, she stood hunched on her back legs and hovered over Trist. Bearing her teeth at the woman, she slammed two paws on either side of her while inclining her neck back. Then she opened her mouth wide, as if she were about to eat her whole.

Trist groaned and rolled over on her back. Raising a wrist to her temple, she wiped the blood that dripped down it and then looked up at Mae, "What are you going to do," she taunted with a shrill laugh, "devour me?"

A growl rose up Mae's throat and without delay, she jerked her head downward and barricaded the woman between her frozen teeth. She didn't clamp down on her though, and instead broke the head off of her own body and left the tigress' head drilled into the ground with Trist stuck in the middle of the mouth.

Now headless, Mat stood back and began to shake her body furiously. She did this until all of the snow fell to the ground and she was left standing back in her own form.

In the prison of snow, Trist dragged her body to the wall of teeth and brushed her fingers over them. There wasn't an single cranny to slip through. Deciding that she would melt her way out, she built up a cloud of steam and attacked the snow. It didn't have an effect on the layers though and left her in small puddles of iced water. With a defeated sigh, she leaned back against the inclosure and stared up at the dark roof, "So, what do you plan to do now?"

Slumping down on the ground with a tired sigh and propping herself back on her right elbow, "Wait until you freeze to death." Mae answered calmly.

* * *

Emiliee slung honey in Usopp's direction, but he was nimble in his footwork and jumped out of the way. Landing on one knee, he aimed Kuro Kabuto and sent a pop green in her direction. It landed just at her feet and instantly shoots of bamboo erupted from the ground, impaling her.

"Direct hit!" Usopp shouted, springing up and punching a fist in the air.

Chopper, still stuck in the honey on the ground, beamed wide. "You did it!"

"I don't think so," Nami said, pointing the clima-tact towards the forest of bamboo, "look."

Usopp's mouth fell to the floor and he stared wide eyed at the honey that dripped from the bamboo, "What?!"

Brook tried to speak, but he was muffled by the honey stuck to his face. Whining, he waved at Nami and then pointed to his face. "Mmm! MMM!"

Spinning the clima-tact, Nami was sharp with her movements and stopped it with the tip pointed towards the sky. "I'm on it!"

When rain began to pour down, Brook rocked back and forth on his feet. While he worked to break his foot free from the honey, he reached up and started to tug on the coating over his mouth. Because of the shallow layer of cool air blankets Nami created around them, the raindrop's temperature was warm enough to loosen the sticky mess.

"Ah!" Chopper exclaimed, trying to pull away from the floor, "She's right behind me!"

"Chopper!" Usopp readied another pop green, but when he stretched the loaded pouch back, GN 20 appeared behind him and grabbed a hold of his hand.

"What the-"

Re-directing Usopp's aim, GN 20 let go of his hand, the pop green slinging off into the distance. Usopp let out a scream and tried to run away, but the soldier grabbed him by the pants and yanked him back, "Not so fast."

"Usopp!" Nami called out.

"Take care of Chopper." Brook peeled the rest of the honey off of his cheek and focused his attention on GN 20, "We'll take care of this guy."

"Nami!" Chopper pleaded, trying to wiggle himself free, "Help!"

Centering her attention back on Emiliee, Nami spun her clima-tact and then stuck it to the ground. "I'm not going to go easy on you!"

Emiliee stood over Chopper with honey dripping from her finger tips. Biting down on her lower lip, she raised her head back and whistled. The noise echoed off of the court yard and bounced across the Kingdom. Seconds passed though and nothing happened.

Nami used this time and the woman's distractions to use Mirage Tempo. Now completely invisible, she took careful steps and crossed the stage, moving next to her. Breaking down her clima-tact, she held onto one piece and aimed it directly at the woman. And with quick actions she revealed herself and attacked, "Gust sword!"

The burst of air sent Emiliee flying across the stage, crashing against two beams. The collision caused one of the beams to snap in half and land on top of her. Dusting her hands off, Nami knelt down next to Chopper and began to pry the honey from his body.

Once he was free, Chopper stood up and jumped into her arms, "Nami!" he cried out helplessly.

Nami wrapped an arm around him, but she didn't say anything. A subtle noise caught her attention. With a questioning look, she stared off into the distance. "Do you hear that?"

Chopper pulled back and turned around exploring the area with a skeptical eye. "What's that noise?"

"That," Emiliee said, throwing the broken beam off of herself, "is a nightmare preparing to dance in the figment of your imagination."

Slowly standing up and holding a hand over her eyes, Nami stared hard and searched the horizon. "I don't-"

"Nami!" Chopper shouted, launching forward, "Get down!"

"Ah!" Nami collapsed to the ground with Chopper in tow, "What are you doing!"

Chopper stood up and pointed to where they had been standing, "Look!"

Nami groaned and rubbed a hand along her hip. Bringing herself up, she looked at where they had just been standing. Sticking out of the floor were eighteen needles.

"What are those?!"

"That was close! If I'm correct, those are poisonous!"

"They're not poisonous. They carry a hallucinogen." Emiliee corrected, standing at a distance from them.

Shortly after her words, a bee-like creature landed next to her holding six stingers in each hand, toxins dripping from their tips. "Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"

"Ah!" Nami squeaked with disgust, "What is that thing?!"

Emiliee frowned and placed a hand on the creature's head, giving it a solid pat, "He's my pet."

"Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!" Abruptly another creature zoomed down and landed on the other side of Emiliee, "You called for us? Mi-Ha Mi-Ha!"

"That noise is going to get real annoying real quick." Nami uttered under her breath.

"Why yes." Emiliee knelt down, looking between the two creatures, "I'd like for you to take care of these pests."

The creatures responded fast and together they fluttered their wings and lifted themselves back into the sky. Instantaneously when they stopped at great heights, hundreds more of the creatures appeared from behind Nami's storm clouds.

Chopper's eyes popped out of his head. "This isn't good!" He screamed, running in circles, "This isn't good!"

"Brook!" Nami called out over her shoulder, "Usopp!"

Usopp scrambled from the ground and crawled out from behind the curtains. Quick to stand up, he flexed his muscles and grinned wide. "I took care of that guy! No need to be scared anymore Chopper!" Pausing, he stopped in his tracks and looked up at the sky. With over exaggerated fear, he pointed towards the creatures, "What are those?!"

Sheathing his sword, Brook followed after Usopp and took a spot on the stage. Confused by everyone's expressions, he looked around and then upward. "Yo-Ho-Ho! What are those?!" He asked, taking a cautious step back.

"They aren't good news!" Nami shouted, "That's what they are!"

Almost immediately, hundreds of stingers started to shower down from the sky, drilling into the stage and everything in their path. It was an obstacle to dodge every single one of them, but Nami managed to do this and grab a hold of Chopper. Dragging them both under two beams that had cracked and fallen against each creating a shelter, she raised her arms over her head and bent down, "Ah!"

Cowering behind Nami, Chopper used her dancer's skirt to cover himself, "This isn't good!"

Air diving under the beams, Usopp landed next to them and scurried as far back as possible, "That was close!"

"They won't stop coming!" Nami shouted, flinching every time a stinger stuck into the beams that were protecting them.

Usopp shook at the knees, "Can't you do something?! Those are your storm clouds up there!"

Nami lifted her head, "You're right!" She said, shakily standing up. Grabbing the clima-tact, she pressed it to her lips and aimed it towards the clouds. As she prepared to blow into it, the stingers suddenly stopped coming down.

Scratching at the back of his neck, Usopp inspected the sky. "Did you get them?"

Nami shook her head and lowered the clima-tact to her side. "I didn't do anything yet."

Bouncing up and down with distress, Chopper pointed to the center of the stage. "Oh no! Oh no!"

Catching sight of what Chopper was going on about, Usopp grabbed his face and hunched forward, "Brook?!"

Breathless, Nami dropped the clima-tact on the floor, "This can't be happening..."

In the center of the stage, Brook stood unwavering with his head inclined back.

"What was he thinking?!" Nami exclaimed, reaching a hand out, "Why didn't he get out of the way?!"

Usopp examined the needles that were lodged into his body, "What's going to happen to him?!"

"Brook!" Chopper cried, preparing to run out and help him, "Brook!"

Usopp grabbed Chopper before he could step out into the open, "You'll be next if you go out there!"

Nami shuttered and pointed upward, "I think we're already next!"

Now that Brook was taken care of, the creatures refocused their attention on Nami, Usopp and Chopper. They flew around in the sky and readjusted their positions. Once their course was changed, they readied themselves for another round.

Usopp jumped back, "They're aiming right at us!"

"What do we do?!" Chopper cried out running in circles, "We don't have anywhere to hide!"

Nami knelt down and reached for the piece of clima-tact that she dropped. "I'm going to have to act fast!" When she tried to pick it up, a glob of honey came out of nowhere and covered her entire hand, glueing it to the floor.

"Ah, ah, ah." Emiliee tisked, "Not so fast."

Nami tried to pry her hand free, but it wouldn't budge. "I'm stuck!"

"The rain, we need the rain!" Chopper shouted, trying to help Nami separate her hand from the floor.

Usopp started beckoning the rain clouds over, "Come on little clouds, over here!"

"The rain won't reach us under this shelter!" Nami barked out, kicking a leg out at Usopp. "And clouds aren't alive! They can't hear you!"

"Oh," Usopp straightened up, "right."

"It's a shame that you and your friends couldn't have just gone home and pretended that none of this ever happened." Emiliee sighed, resting a hand on Brook's shoulder.

"Hey!" Usopp shouted, waving a hand at her, "Don't touch him!"

"Yeah," Chopper exclaimed, still trying to help Nami, "leave him alone!"

Squeezing his shoulder, Emiliee smirked. "I'm not going to do anything to him. He's already been taken care of."

"Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!" Brook's laugh rose up and took everyone by surprise. "That was some shower!" He laughed, proceeded to pick the needles from his body and toss them aside.

"It can't be," Emiliee stumbled back, "it can't be."

Usopp and Chopper started to do the can-can in celebration, "He's okay! He's okay!"

"But how!" Emiliee threw her arm out, "With that much toxic, you should be near dead! You should be-"

Brook reached up and grabbed a handful of his afro. From the split in his skull, he opened his head right up and revealed an empty space where his brain should have been. "You can't hallucinate without a brain! Yo-Ho-Ho-Ho!"

"He doesn't have a brain, he doesn't have a brain!" Chopper and Usopp chanted, continuing to dance.

"Impossible!" Emiliee growled, "That's-"

"It's not impossible when you're already dead!" Brook pointed out, closing his skull back up.

Looking up from her hand, which was still stuck to the floor, Nami watched as the creatures positioned themselves in the sky.

"They're still not stopping!"

Usopp and Chopper stopped what they were doing and looked back up. "Ah!" They shouted in unison, "They're coming right for us!"

"Oh," Brook perked up, turning around and observing the creatures in the sky, "that's my cue!"


	29. (XXIX) The Luminous Island Part 22

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

Have a great weekend.

:)

Fanfiction wouldn't let me post for a couple of days (not sure why), so I apologize for the delay.

* * *

Patiently, Mae waited for Trist to stop talking and succumb to the cold temperatures. Her patience was wearing thin though, because as the clock continued to tick, the woman continued to babble on about nothing in particular. At times, she debated whether or not to respond to her nonsense. In the end, she decided against it and instead, sat back and listened.

Absentmindedly she started to play with the snow around her, combing her fingers through the soft powder. Then, growing bored of the snow, she laid back and rested an arm under her head, tracing the outlines and patterns of the colorful mural above. It was beautifully pieced together, but the more she examined the art work, the more she wondered if a willing person created it or a slave.

After a solid minute, Mae noticed that Trist wasn't talking anymore. Pulling herself up on an elbow, she listened carefully. When she didn't hear a peep from the woman, she eagerly stood up; Which was a mistake on her part. The noises she made caught the woman's attention and seconds later, she started babbling on again.

Mae groaned and slumped back into the snow, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Huh?" Trist perked up, "Did you say something?"

Mae didn't answer her. She didn't dare to give her another reason to talk.

"You know..." Trist muffled from behind the snow, "if you're going to just sit there, you could at least talk." Abruptly after her words, her shuffled feet could be hear from inside of the tiger's head.

Mae eyed the cage suspiciously, but she didn't say anything. Whatever the woman was up to, she couldn't pull it off. The barrier was thick and she made sure not to leave any cracks for her to slip through.

"Did you hear that?"

Sighing irritably, "The only thing I hear is your-"

Trist cut her off, "It sounds like an earth quake."

Bringing herself upright, "A what?" Mae asked.

"Shh-SHHH!" Trist squeaked out, "Listen!"

Mae mumbled a few words under her breath and rolled her eyes. Furrowing her brows, she dipped her head down and listened carefully to the sounds around them. At first, she couldn't hear a thing. Then, all at once, a violent uproar shook the ground beneath them.

Staggering and standing up, Mae looked around the room. Then she drew her eyes to the snow at her feet. A nervous feeling rushed to her stomach and her mouth dried out. Absorbing the snow from the floor, her eyes widened. Rolling across the concrete were thousands of cracks.

"What is it?!" Trist shouted, "What do you see?!"

The rumbling grew loud and louder. But even then, Mae stood where she was and continued to watch the ground split under her feet. She stayed where she was up to the last minute, until the floor started to gravitate upward. With the help of a levitating chunk of floor, she vaulted across the room and smashed into a nearby wall.

"Dammit!" She caterwauled like a cat, her body slumping onto the ground.

Before another minute could pass, a monsoon of concrete, sand, debris and wood erupted inside of the room. Blinded by the clouds of dust, Mae raised an arm up and tried to guard her eyes. Squinting through the mess, she held onto the wall behind her and used it for support.

Licking the dust off of her lips, the bitter taste causing her to regret it immediately, she stood up. Leaning forward, she looked through the clouds of smoke and rubbed a hand repeatedly over her eyes, trying to adjust her vision and distinguish what was what.

When the debris started to diminish, she instantly caught sight of a figure amidst the rubbish.

Her expression shifted from confused to disbelief. Waving a hand in front of her, trying to clear the dust, she opened her mouth to speak. But when she did this, she inhaled specks of dirt and started to have a fit of coughs. Because she couldn't get a word out, she knelt down and swiped up a rock from the floor. Standing back up, she chucked it across the room with as much force as she could muster.

"What the hell!"

Raising her forearm to her mouth, "What-" she cough loudly, "were you thinking?!"

Zoro rubbed at the back of his head, "What did I tell you about throwing rocks!"

Continuing to cough, Mae gestured towards the massive hole in the floor. " _What_ did Ma' tell you about going through the ceiling! Why didn't you take the elevator!"

Inspecting the room casually, "It was easier to go up by sword." He answered.

"Easier?" Mae blinked a couple of times and her face went blank. Then, she scowled. "The elevator was in the room next to the one that I left you in! It wasn't hard to find! And how the heck did you even end up beneath us! You were at the _other_ tower, which is on the _other_ side of the city!"

Completely ignoring her complaints, Zoro changed the subject without another thought. "Where are we?" He asked and when noticed Trist, he nudged his head towards her. "And who's that?"

Mae followed his stare. Coughing, she rubbed the back of her hand over her mouth and frowned. Trist was now buried beneath rubble, her body barely visible. "That's one of the elders."

Lifting her eyes to the mess, Mae explored the floor until she found what she was looking for. Across the room, GN 17 and GN 18 were sprawled out and immobile.

Stepping over chunks of concrete, she strolled over to the robot's sides and knelt down next to them. Flipping their bodies over, she started to search through their robes. Shuffling around GN 18's robe, she soon found what she was looking for and pulled it out.

"What's that?" Zoro asked, continuing to inspect the room and not bothering to see what she picked up.

Mae stood up and tossed the object into the air. Catching it, she held it out. "A collar."

Zoro looked at the collar. "What are you going to do with it?"

"She's a devil fruit user." Mae clarified, moving next to Trist. "This will keep her at bay when she wakes up." Bringing herself down on one knee, she raised the collar to the woman's throat and clasped it shut.

Zoro nodded and then faced the open room. "Have you seen the others?"

Mae frowned. "No. I was trying to follow Brox, but before I could catch up to him, I ran into this pain."

"All right," Zoro cracked his neck, "let's get going then."

Brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, Mae moved next to Zoro's side. Looking him up and down, she gnawed on her lower lip thoughtfully.

His entire body was covered in contusions and gashes. "You're pretty beat up," She noted, unconsciously brushing her fingers over a bruise, "but I'm guessing that Reih's worse off?"

Zoro didn't pull back from her touch. When the warmth of her hand touched his skin, his head began to thrum with recollection of recent events. Uncomfortable with the electrical waves that shot through his brain, he started to pound the palm of his hand against his head.

Mae looked at him vaguely. "Are you okay?"

After one last hit to the head, Zoro shifted uncomfortably and took a step away from her. "Yeah."

"All right..." Mae mumbled slowly, slightly weirded out. "So, as I was saying... I'm guessing that Reih's worse off?"

Regaining his composure, Zoro smirked. "He won't be up for a while."

"Good." Holding a hand to her left shoulder, Mae nudged her body towards the door. "Come on then."

* * *

A loud outcry rolled up Jacen's throat and he collapsed to the ground in agony. The fire pressed violently against him and rolled over his body relentlessly. He had a plan to escape Franky's attack, but it was set back and foiled in seconds when a stray bullet lodged into his spine. It was unexpected and because of the inability to move, he was forced to face the blast head on.

Blisters began to form on his cheeks and forehead. And as his body grew numb from the pain, his mind started to race and he lost himself in a distant memory.

 _"And where do you think you're going, Jacen?"_

 _Whipping around with surprise, the young boy scratched at the back of his head nervously, "M-Mom!"_

 _"J-Jacen!" The woman mocked him with a kind smile, resting against the door frame of a small house._

 _"I was just going for a walk!"_

 _The woman caressed her hands over the vibrant dress that she wore, smiling down at the small five year old. She knew him well enough to know that he was up to something._

 _"You were just going for a walk?" She hummed, holding onto her smile. "Is that so?"_

 _"Y-yup!" Jacen rocked back and forth on his feet. "Just going for a walk!"_

 _Reaching behind her, his mom took a hold of a coat and slung it over her shoulders. "Then let me join you. I need some fresh air."_

 _Jacen's expression fell. "Uh-I-But-"_

 _"That's okay," She grinned, "right?"_

 _In defeat, he kicked his toe in the dirt. "I guess." He answered, avoiding eye contact._

 _"Good." Closing the door behind her, she moved to his side and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Shall we?"_

Jacen was snapped back to reality when a pressure was applied to the palms of his hands and the balls of his feet. The motion was swift and before he could process what was going on, his entire body was launched upward and catapulted into the air.

His body was flung across the sky and over many buildings. But it wasn't long until he started to descend downward. And when he finally came down, he came down hard.

Breaking through the roof of a store, he smashed into the floorboards, the wood snapping and splintering from the sudden pressure. And before he could process what had just happened, his mind slowly slipped away from reality and he fell unconscious.

* * *

Jael swiveled around and around in his chair. After the fourth or fifth spin though, he came to a stop and faced Sanji; who was still passed out on the floor.

Grunting, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head. When his back popped, he straightened up and fixed his shirt back into place. "All right," He muttered, looking over at the cook, "it's time to get up."

Moving over to his side, he raised his leg back and then forcefully slammed it forward and kicked hard, landing a direct hit against Sanji's side.

That woke him up right away.

Sanji was quick to stand up and threateningly raised a fist in his direction. "What was that for?!"

"Oh good!" Jael beamed sarcastically, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You're awake!"

Jerking from his hold, "Why'd you go and do that!" Sanji snapped.

"How else was I going to wake you up?"

Grumbling an insult under his breath, Sanji moved over to the controls, "What happened?"

Jael pouted his lips to the side thoughtfully, "Well..." He mumbled, "You passed out."

"I know that!" Sanji growled, "What happened after I passed out?"

Moving over to his side, Jael gave him a pity pat on his back. "Mae and the other chick brawled it out. Boobs were everywhere. It got good."

Sanji's eyebrow twitched and he spun around. "What?!"

"You missed out on a good fight." Jael reached for his chair and rolled it to his side. Taking a seat, he propped his legs up and crossed his arms behind his head. "A really, _really_ , good fight."

"I missed," Sanji looked like he was about to cry, "I missed-"

"Two naked women up close and personal with each other."

"Gah!" Sanji grabbed at his hair. "This can't be happening!"

"Oooooh," Jael hummed, "and it was magnificent."

"No!" Sanji turned around and started to press buttons and flick switches. "Can you turn the monitors back on?!"

Jael dropped his legs down from the control board and slapped Sanji's hand away. "No, now stop that." He grunted, flicking the switched back into place.

Combing a hand through his shaggy hair, he looked at Sanji from the corner of his eye. "We should have gone with your plan."

"What?"

"Every GN soldier that we took over was a bust."

Sanji leaned against the controls and inclined his head back. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Jael gestured towards the blank monitors, "every time we took over a soldier, it ended up being taken down."

As an after thought, he added: "No thanks to Mae."

And even though Mae had been a problem, in the back of his mind, Jael didn't really find it to be a burden. He actually was fond of her and enjoyed their encounter. And not only did he get to see her and her smile, he got to watch her fight with another woman half naked.

"Why are you grinning like that?"

Jael shook his head and broke away from his thoughts. "What?"

Sanji yanked at his cheek. "You have a perverted smile on your face." He muttered. "Are you thinking about the fight?!"

Jael smacked his hand away. "Don't do that!" He bit out, angrily rubbing at his cheek. "I was thinking of something else!" Leaning on an elbow, he stretched his arm out and brushed his fingers over a few buttons. "Anyways. It probably would have been quicker to just march in the main control room ourselves."

"I could have told you that." Sanji said. "Oh wait, I did."

" _Oh wait, I did._ " Jael mimicked with a sour look. "Shut up."

* * *

"What was that?!" Mae exclaimed, pointing towards the sky.

Zoro looked to where she was pointing, "What was what?"

"Don't tell me you didn't just see that man fly over us?"

Poking his pinky into his ear Zoro shrugged, "No."

With a disbelieving groan, Mae rattled her head and took a hold of Zoro's wrist. "Come on, we need to check it out!"

Before he could protest, she yanked him along and started moving down a lone path. "They started to descend about-" stopping in the middle of the road, "-here." She said.

"Would you let go?" Zoro tried to pull his wrist free, but she kept a tight hold on him.

"They had to land somewhere over there." She decided, pointing to their left. "Come on!" Tugging him forward, she advanced down another road.

"Are you sure you weren't seeing things?" Zoro asked when she came to a stop.

"I wasn't seeing things." She scowled, sending him a sharp glare.

Observing the buildings, Zoro searched for anything out of the ordinary. When he started to examine the roof tops, he noticed a gaping hole in the crown of one of the stores.

"Maybe that's where your person fell?" He suggested, nodding his head towards the building.

"Huh?" Circling around, "Oh!" Mae perked up. "That has to be where they landed!"

"You think?" Zoro grunted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Mae rolled her eyes, "Yeah. I think. Come on, I might need your help." She insisted, reaching for his wrist.

"Would you quit grabbing me?" He demanded, jerking from her hold. "I know how to walk."

Taking notice that she had been persistently touching him, Mae let go immediately. "Yeah, right. Sorry"

"Whatever." Zoro muttered, looking over his shoulder and then back at her. "Are you going to go in?"

"Yes, I am." Sauntering over to the store's front door, she attempted to open it. When it wouldn't budge after a few tugs, she took a step back. "It's locked."

Zoro appeared next to her. "Break it open then."

She looked up at him with frowned. "I was obviously going to do that. Now stand back."

"Can you handle it?" Zoro jeered with a crooked grin.

Dropping her shoulders with a breath, Mae muttered a few words. Fixing her posture, she ushered him back and then positioned herself into a fighting stance. With a swift kick, she stomped her foot into the door.

Zoro held back a laugh when it didn't budge. "That-"

"Shut up." Mae interrupted him, waving a hand behind her.

Bringing herself back into the fighting stance, she raised her leg up again. With great force, she stomped her foot into the door once more. This time, the surface cracked and then after a short count down, the wood broke off the hinges and it slammed open.

"See," Mae voiced with pride, "I did it."

"Good job." Zoro smirked with sarcastic praise, setting a hand on her shoulder.

Placing her hand over his, "Gee thanks." She muttered, brushing him away.

The pain in her shoulder was nothing compared to what she felt when he touched her. The sharp ache in her shoulder contrasted to the coolness of his fingers against her bare skin. The feeling wasn't terrible, but she refused to explore any emotional connection that she might have with him.

There were more important things on her mind.

Zoro grunted when she pushed him away, but he didn't say anything. Walking away from her and further into the store, he checked their surroundings. The building wasn't spacious, so it didn't take him long to find what they were looking for.

"There." He indicated, nodding his head towards broken pieces of wooden.

Mae brushed by him immediately. Anxiously, she knelt down next to the person. Their entire body was covered in chunks of wood and all that she could see was a hand. Even though she couldn't feel a thing with her left arm, she used what strength she had and took a reassuring hold on the hand. It was still warm, but she couldn't tell if it was the heat radiating off of their skin or if it was the blood dripping down their wrist.

Using her good arm, she started to fling wood off of their body. Piece by piece, she continued to clean them off. Once the last piece was tossed aside, she let out a calming breath. They were still breathing. As she brushed some of the dust from their cheek, she looked down and noticed something off-putting.

Gnawing on her lower lip, she turned to Zoro. "He's a guard."

Zoro glanced down at the man and then looked Mae directly in the eyes. "Then leave him."

Mae furrowed her brows and turned her attention back to the man. "But he's hurt."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides, he's an enemy."

Mae wrapped her numb fingers around the man's hand, "I can't just leave him." She whispered. "He's _really_ hurt."

"And I'm sure that one of our own did this to him." Zoro decided.

Brushing a hand through her tangled hair, Mae took a firm seat on the floor. "I can't leave him."

"You're an idiot." Zoro said, walking to her side. "Can't you see that he's the enemy?"

"But how do you know that he's an enemy?" Mae kept a inflexible stare on the man's face. He was young. And by the looks of his appearance, he didn't appear to be a ruthless enemy.

With a sigh, she blinked her eyes up and looked at Zoro. "There are two things that you need to know about me. First, I have a weak spot for children. I will hands down do anything to protect them. Second, I refuse to call anyone an enemy unless I know for a fact that they've done wrong"

Her gaze drifted back to the man. "And as far as I know, this man hasn't done anything."

"Your second way of thinking," Zoro snorted, "is going to get you killed."

"Or," Mae whispered, "it's going to save someone's life."

* * *

Usopp hunched over and created a shelter with his arms. "Brook! Do something quick!"

Chopper ran circles around Nami, "We're going to die! We're going to die!"

Persistently pulling at her arm with her free hand, "This can't be it!" Nami screamed.

Emiliee stood composed with a hand on her hip. "There's nothing he can do now." She said with self-confidence.

Brook roamed across the stage, "Yo Ho Ho Ho." He chortled, coming to a stop in front of Nami.

"What's so funny?" Emiliee murmured, eyeing him suspiciously.

Brook kept his back to her with his sword in hand and semi-sheathed. "Oh nothing," He hummed "I just thought to ask," taking a side glance over his shoulder, "before I cut you, may I see your panties?"

"May you-" Emiliee scrunched her face up confused, "-What?"

"Ah! They're coming!" Chopper stumbled forward when his foot got caught in the honey that was around Nami's hand. "I'm stuck! I'm stuck!" He cried out. "Help!"

Looking around his arm, Usopp blinked a couple of times and then slowly stood up. "Wait," He pointed towards the creatures, "They're not moving!"

Chopper paused his outcries and looked towards the sky. "You're right!"

Nami stopped yanking at her arm, inclined her head back and watched the creatures closely. "They're just sitting there."

"That's because I've already cut them." Brook assured his crew mates, turning around to confront Emiliee and the buzzing creatures above.

Emiliee waved a strong hand outward. "You've done nothing."

"You should have let us go." Brook sighed. "But then again, we would've had to fight eventually."

With that, Brook sheathed his sword entirely.

Emiliee was first to collapsed to the ground, an outcry of pain escaping past her lips. And then instantaneously, one by one, the creatures started to drift downward and slam into the stage.

Tucking the sword behind him, Brook turned around and faced his crew mates with a grin, "That wasn't so hard!"

"Brook!" Chopper cried, crawling over to him once the honey disappeared.

Nami hugged her hand to her chest with the clima-tact in her grip, "That could've been bad."

Dusting his knees off, "I could've handled it!" Usopp decided, flexing his arms.

Promptly after his words, a massive explosion erupted from a nearby tower, the entire tip of the building shattering into tremendous chunks of crystal and flying across the Kingdom.

Chopper jumped back, "What was that?!"

Nami held a hand to her forehead and inspected the blast. Between the giant pieces of crystal that flew ahead, she was able to discerner a small figure in the disarray.

"It's Luffy!"

Brook squinted, "Luffy?!"

"Is he okay?!" Chopper asked, his head bobbing around as he searched the mess for his captain.

With distress, Nami watched closely. She couldn't tell what was going on at that moment. But then her expression lightened and a relieved smile crossed her lips.

"He's okay!"

In the distance, she could see that he was using the giant crystals as a platform, jumping from one piece to the next. It was obvious that he was planning his next move and it was clear that it was aimed for the other figure that was adjacent to him.

And it wasn't long until he made his move.

His arm stretched back and his fist expanded into a solid form, taking the shape of a large canon ball. With a simple and quick motion, he thrusted his arm forward.

As his fist collided with the other figure, it created a large impact around them, the crystals soaring rapidly across the kingdom and into the sands that surrounded it.

The figure who had been struct by Luffy, unwillingly shadowed after the shards and flew across the sky. They didn't start to descend until they passed the Kingdom's gates, landing hard into the ground and creating an enormous hole in the surface.

* * *

Robin stopped in her tracks when the tunnel's walls began to shake.

Direck, a slave who was at her side, came to a stop. "What was that?"

"An explosion?" One of the other slaves suggested, turning their eyes to the ceiling.

Another slave, Felton, turned around and stared down one of the tunnel's paths. "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Let's keep moving. We need to alert everyone about the situation." Direck declared, "We only have one more community left to visit."

"Yeah," Felton mumbled, "you're right."

With a steady pace, the group started to move again. Minutes passed before they reached the end of the tunnel and the next community. When they arrived, they stumbled upon a horrifying sight.

Direck's mouth trembled. "What happened."

Robin stepped forward and observed the community. "That must have been the cause of the tremor."

Stumbling forward, Felton grabbed at the side of his face, "No! What- No!"

One of the larger slaves, Pollo, came forward, "Men!" He barked, "Now is not the time to hesitate!"

"M-mom?" The younger slave appeared behind Robin, holding onto her skirt. "Is- What's going to happen to my mom?!"

Before the slaves could fall into a pit of panic, Pollo whistled loud and stepped in front of them. "Men! We were sent down here by Aury to do one thing and that one thing is to protect our families! We don't have time to linger around! Half of you need to split down the line and get back to the other communities fast! I don't care how you do it, but you need to get them to the surface and you need to do it in a timely manner!"

Robin fixed her shoulders back, "We need to move fast." She demanded.

"All right," Felton pointed to a group of men, "follow me! We need to get moving!"

Direck gestured to another set of men. "And you will follow me! Let's get going!"

Robin watched the two men gather groups together. When they set off and into the perpetual darkness of the tunnels, she fixed her attention back to the community in front of her. The entire appearance of the town was a replica of the other communities that she had seen. The only thing that separated it from the bunch was the gaping hole in the ceiling that was swallowing sand at a rapid speed.

"What could have made that?" She whispered to herself.

* * *

Franky dug through the rummages of his attack, "Dammit." He moaned, throwing a chunk of concrete over his shoulder. "Where is he?"

"Dad!" Brox's scream echoed off of the walls, "Dad!"

Franky's ear twitched at the screeching and constant bellowing. Dropping the ply wood that he was hanging onto, he shifted his attention to the kid behind him. That's when he noticed that Aury was still in a heated battle with a GN soldier that had been lucky enough to avoid his blast.

Reluctant to stop his search for Jacen, Franky looked back at the wreckage on the ground. He fought inwardly with himself. With a huffed breath though, he took a sharp turn on his foot and started to rush towards the two who continued to battle.

Aury collapsed to his knees. When he noticed Franky from the corner of his eye, he held a hand out. "No!" He shouted, wiping blood from his mouth. "I can handle my own!"

Franky came to a sudden stop. Knowing that a man's pride was on the line, he didn't take another step.

"Just protect my son!" Aury demanded, staggering with the inability to stand back up.

Franky watched the man closely. He took note that he was struggling to stand up on his own. Even then though, he didn't advance forward.

Brox popped up from inside of a barrel, pointing behind Franky. "Be-Behind you! They're- They're coming back!"

Confused, Franky whipped around. Nearby, a handful of GN soldiers were merging from the wreckage, preparing for another fight.

"You've got to be kidding me!"


	30. (XXX) The Luminous Island Part 23

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

Enjoy the rest of your week!

* * *

Mae swabbed her thumb across the guard's forehead, cleaning the blood off of it. "Hang in there." She whispered.

Positioning the man higher on his back, Zoro peered down at her from the corner of his eye. "You know that he can't hear you, right?"

Pinching her lips together, Mae turned her head away. "You don't know that."

Scoffing at her, "He's knocked out," he said, "he can't hear you."

"People in comas can hear the voices around them. So, why shouldn't he be able to hear my voice?" She justified, flicking him in the forehead.

Zoro grunted, withdrawing away from her. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" She badgered, flicking him again. "This?"

Coming to a stop, "I'll drop him." He threatened.

Mae eyed him, "You wouldn't dare."

Inching the man from his back bit by bit, he stared into her eyes with a daring glint in his own. "Want to bet?"

Quick to move behind him, Mae held her right arm out and prepared to catch the man. "That's not funny, he's seriously hurt."

"It isn't my fault." Zoro bounced his shoulders up, lifting the man onto his back properly. "Besides, you're one to talk. Your arm looks disgusting."

Mae held a hand out and gestured towards the unconscious man as if signaling for a dog to stay. "But it's our responsibility to take care of him now. We found him." She validated.

"You found him." He corrected her.

Walking a circle around Zoro, " _Technically,_ " she said, coming to a stop in front of him, "you found him first."

Striding to the side, Zoro walked around her and started to tread on. "Let's just hurry up."

Pocketing a hand, "I'm right behind you." She assured him.

A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Even though Zoro was persistent on leaving the man behind, he ended up being the one to carry him. And because he finally gave in to helping her with him, she respected him a little more than she had before.

"We're here."

Confused at first, lost in her own thoughts, Mae looked up from the ground and stopped walking. "What?"

"We're here." Zoro repeated, nudging his head towards a building with glowing plus sign on the front of it.

Mae scratched at her upper lip. "Oh, all right. Let's get him inside." She said, taking the lead.

When they stepped foot into the hospital, they were greeted by a nurse straightaway. "Oh dear!" She gasped, looking them up and down. "What has happened here?"

Mae glanced at Zoro and extended her lower lip out thoughtfully. Then she slide her gaze to the woman. "We found him like this."

"You found him? It's a real mess out there," the woman tisked, "isn't it?"

Mae cleared her throat. "By mess you mean-"

"The slaves are running wild and causing trouble for everyone. We've been quarantined to either our homes or, if we are working medics, to the hospital."

"That explains why there isn't anyone on the streets." Zoro mumbled to himself.

"We are required to stay inside until the broadcast from the Elders assures us that it is okay to come out. You won't see anyone out there."

"Except the guards." Mae uttered, looking at the guard on Zoro's back.

"The guards and soldiers." The nurse corrected her. "Rumor has it, the slaves are causing more trouble than the Elder's want or expected. And not only that, they have outside help."

Licking the front of her teeth, Mae casually took a step back. "Outside help you say? Well that's just the darnedest."

Zoro looked at Mae with a raised brow, but he didn't say anything.

"The soldiers are never seen in battle. At least, this is the first time my generation has seen it. It's a bit scary, but we're assured our safety as long as we stay inside and out of the way."

Pausing thoughtfully, the nurse looked between the two. She had suspicion in her eyes. "Which brings me to ask, how did you two find this man? You shouldn't have been outside to begin with."

"He fell through my roof." Mae answered without delay.

The quick response lead the woman to doubt them even more. "So, you didn't find him like you stated before?"

"Uh- Well I mean..." Me hesitated, gnawing on her lower lip.

"Like she said, he fell through her roof." Zoro interrupted, nodding towards the man on his back.

Skeptical, the nurse eyed them with mistrust. "He fell through _your_ ," she nodded towards Mae, "roof?"

Sucking in her lips, "Mhm!" Mae agreed.

"All right," The nurse crossed an arm around her waist, "then tell me this: What happened to your arm," she gestured towards Mae and then to Zoro, "and why are you bruised up?"

Mae cleared her throat, "Well you see-"

"He fell on top of her." Zoro explained with ease.

"Uh-huh." The nurse studied them carefully. "All right, tell me this then: why are you so bruised up?"

"He fell on top of him..." Mae glimpsed between Zoro and the nurse with squinted eyes. "...Too."

Before the nurse could pry them for more information, Mae put a hand on Zoro's shoulder and spun him around, presenting the guard. "Please, he's really hurt."

"Oh my!" Rushing over to him, the nurse inspected the wound in his back. "He's been shot!"

Even though she was dubious about the two guests, when she saw the bullet wound in the man's back, she became more willing to help.

"All right," She said after a long minute, gesturing to the gurney in the hallway, "lay him down on his stomach. We'll take care of the rest."

After her instructions, the nurse hastily moved around the front desk and took a seat. Bringing a transponder snail's radio to her mouth, she spoke into it. "This is Edith. We have an emergency. Prepare for surgery. Front entrance, hallway C."

A smirk tugged at the corner of Zoro's mouth. "You're not a good liar."

Mae dropped her shoulders and nudged him in the stomach with an elbow. "I wasn't prepared for a million questions. Now if I _had_ been prepared, I could have lied right through my teeth."

"I'm sure." Zoro taunted with a casual shrug. Not giving her a chance to argue, he left her side and carried the guard to the gurney. Once he took care of him, he strolled back to her side. "There, your guard's been taken care of. Let's go."

"Oh no!" Edith hung the transponder up and waved a hand at them. "I'm on strict orders to keep everyone in my hospital until the broadcast states otherwise."

Mae held a hand up and shook it. "We were just here to bring the man."

Edith placed a hand on her hip stubbornly. "And I'm sure that he, and the Elders, will be grateful for your assistance. But, I cannot disobey an order. No one is permitted to leave."

Zoro snorted. "We're not staying."

Edith raised a single eyebrow at him. Standing up, she walked around the counter and took a firm spot in front of the exit. "If you two did not want to be stuck here, you should have contacted us rather than bringing the man here yourselves."

Pretending that she didn't hear their further complaints, she strolled over to Mae and roughly grabbed her left arm. "You arm, it's broken." She pointed out plainly.

With wide eyes and an open mouth, Mae let out a groan. "Yeah, ya' think?" She gaped, a sudden jolt of pain rushing through her arm.

"Yes," Edith continued to fondle her arm crudely, "I think so."

"Why is it," Mae threw her shoulder forward and yanked her arm out of the woman's grasp, "that nurses feel the need to be so rough."

"I'm curious," Edith examined Mae's arm closely, "how is it you're not in dire pain. A regular person wouldn't be able to stand such a break."

"Well," Mae fumbled with words in her head, "it's numb. A nerve must have popped."

That wasn't a lie. Her arm was in fact numb. She just didn't mention the fact that she has been keeping it numb with her devil fruit powers.

"Come along then," Edith placed a hand against the crook of Mae's back and ushered her forward, "let's get that arm back in place."

Mae tried to break away from her constant pushing. "I'm okay, really!"

"Just go with her." Zoro took a seat on the floor, hugging his arms over his chest. "Chopper would have to fix it eventually anyway."

"You know," Edith pointed towards the seats around the room, "there are chairs."

"I'm fine here." He said, inclining his head back and closing his eye. It wasn't long until his eye snapped back open though, a lingering presence in front of him.

"The guard is resting in room 345 C. The fact that you brought him here, rather than calling it in, saved his life."

Zoro rubbed at his head, yawning. "That was quick."

Edith pointed to a clock on the wall. "Quick? It's been nearly three hours."

"Really?" Zoro squinted at the clock. "What about Mae?"

"Your friend was an easy fix. She's in room 231 B."

Zoro pulled himself up. Stretching his arms above his head, he let out a long yawn.

"I'd be more than happy to take you to her. These hallways can be confusing at times." Edith offered.

Zoro inspected the sign that hung above the hallway. On one side of it, there was an arrow pointing to the left with the letter A. On the other side, it had an arrow pointing to the right with the letter F.

Edith didn't wait for him to respond. His confused expression was enough to know that he didn't have a clue where to go. "Follow me." She instructed, taking the lead and moving down the hallway.

"Visiting hours are strict, but since you're confined to this hospital," she said, stopping in front of a door, "take your time."

Opening the door, she waited for him to step into the room. "We gave her some medication for the pain. It knocked her out a while ago, but she should be up soon."

As Zoro moved into the room, Edith closed the door behind him. The room was dark with only a glimmer of light, the essence shining through a crack in the curtains. Mae was laying on a bed in the middle of the room with the light brushing over her face.

Walking over to her side, he couldn't help but smirk when he noticed a glob of drool dripping down her chin. Standing over her, he swiped his thumb over the mess, wiping it clean.

The subtle touch caused Mae to stir. Groaning, she fluttered her eyes open and looked up at Zoro. She had a perplexed look in her eye. "Where am I?"

At first, Zoro didn't answer. He couldn't explain it, but the way the light caught her eyes sent a tightness in his stomach.

"Zoro?" Mae sat up and put a hand on her head, a sudden rush of dizziness overwhelming her.

Snapping back to reality, he moved back. "You're in the hospital."

"Oh," Mae plopped back down, "right."

"We should go. The others might need our help."

Mae propped herself up on an elbow, eyeballing the cast on her arm. "I don't think I'd be much help."

"Not in the lying department." He smirked.

"Hey now, I can lie. I've lied to plenty of people. It's my job to lie."

"Your job?"

Collapsing back into the bed, "Forget I said that." She dismissed, waving a hand.

A nurse slammed the door open, interrupting their conversation. "Is anyone thirsty? I've got water and some jello."

Groaning, Mae sat back up. "Water sounds great." She said, smacking her dried lips together.

Setting the tray of jello and water on the bedside, the nurse began to check her over. "How are you feeling?"

Rubbing at her temple, "I'm okay. It's just a broken arm." Mae excused with a light smile.

"A broken arm still isn't fun to have. Now, my name is Maxie. If you need anything, give me a holler."

"That won't be necessary," Mae said, "we're actually going to be-"

"Leaving?" Maxie finished, fixing the sheets on the bed. "Edith already informed me that you'd be eager to leave."

"I just don't want to take up a bed that might be needed for someone else." Mae frowned, flinging the blankets off and bringing her legs to the edge of the bed.

"It _has_ been busy." Maxie sighed hopelessly. "The guards are coming in nonstop."

Mae scrunched her face, "Really?"

"They've sustained injuries from the fight." Maxie nervously looked over her shoulder. "But rumor has it, the slaves aren't the ones they're fighting."

"Maxie!" Edith appeared in the doorway. "You're needed in Hallway A."

Straightening up, Maxie bowed. "Right away, ma'am!"

"Wait," Mae took a hold of her wrist, "what do you mean that the slaves aren't the ones they're fighting?"

A low grunt escaped the woman and she fought to speak. "Rumor has it-"

"You nurses sure like rumors, don't you?" Zoro muttered.

Mae shot him a glare and then glanced back at Maxie. "Go on." She urged.

"Rumor has it, the guards have decided to fight with the slaves, not against them."

"What?" Mae blinked rapidly. "The guards are helping?"

"Yeah." Maxie nodded. "Rumor has it, they've found out some information that-"

"Maxie!" Edith appeared in the doorway again. "We need you _now_."

"I'm sorry." The woman bowed to them. "I have to go. Please stay and rest."

When Maxi left the room, Mae got up and immediately advanced for the water. Pressing the glass to her lips, she started to jug the water down eagerly. The contents dripped down her chin and between her breasts, but that didn't stop her from swallowing every last bit.

Zoro watched her briefly. When he noticed that his eyes were traveling though, he turned around and grumbled something about not being like the stupid cook.

Breaking for a breath, Mae set the cup down and wiped her mouth clean. "I needed that." She breathed.

"They won't let us out the front door," Zoro walked over to the window and pushed the curtains open, "but we can go out the window."

"Actually," Mae looked towards the door, "I was going to go check on the guard."

"Why?" Zoro was already opening the window up, fighting against the safety locks.

Combing her hair over her shoulder, Mae gnawed on her lower lip. "Well-"

Zoro snapped the locks on the window and yanked it open. When he did this, a sudden gust of wind circulated around the room, stirring up the stale hospital smell. Turning on a foot, he faced Mae and nudged his head back. "He'll be fine. Let's just focus on finding the others."

With a sigh, Mae gave a firm nod. "All right."


	31. (XXXI) The Luminous Island Part 24

© Eiichiro Oda

I will respond to reviews via private message. If it is unviable, I will add my response(s) to an actual question on my home page / profile and I will leave them up for a week.

* * *

 **N . O . T . E . S**

:)

Throwing in some more Zoro / Mae scenes this chapter.

Enjoy everyone and have a great week!

* * *

Slinging her leg through the open window in her hospital room, Mae mounted the frame and surveyed the area below. The drop was a full story, but she knew that she could make it without breaking a leg. She had made jumps from greater heights before after all.

Zoro stood beside her and set a hand against the wall. "Are you going to go?" He asked, leaning over her and peering out of the window.

The warmth of his body contrasted to the cool temperatures that her body retained. Unconsciously she canted towards him, the heat drawing her in. She didn't realize how close they actually were until she looked up at him.

Their faces were only an inch apart.

Receding back against the window's frame, attempting to put more space between them, she fixed her attention elsewhere. "I'm going. I was just making sure that the coast was clear."

Zoro traced the surrounding area. There wasn't a person in sight and he didn't expect there to be. The elders had strict orders to stay inside and he doubted that the citizens would disobey them. With a slight nudge to Mae's side, he ushered her along. "It's clear."

Tucking her side inward, she moved away from his elbow with an eye roll. "I'm going, I'm going." Slinging her other leg over the frame, she sat on the edge of the window. Hunched over, she scanned the ground a second time before sliding out and jumping down.

The plunge was a straight shot and it didn't take her long to touch down. When she landed though, she didn't land on the concrete surface. Instead, she landed on a person.

"W-What the?!"

"Usopp! Usopp!" Chopper rushed over to his side and knelt down. "Are you okay?!"

Mae, who was now straddling Usopp, gnawed on her lower lip and sheepishly rubbed at the back of her head. "I swear, I didn't mean to do that."

Landing next to them, Zoro dropped his shoulders and shook his head while crossing his arms. "Didn't you see him?"

With bitterness on the tip of her tongue, Mae shoved her hand against his pelvis and pushed him back. "He came out of nowhere! _You_ even said that it was clear!"

From around the building's corner, Nami emerged with a confused look in her eye. When she saw Zoro and Mae though, her expression shifted and a smile reached her lips.

"Zoro! Mae!" Raising her arm high, she waved it eagerly.

Following after her, Brook perked up when he saw them. "There you guys are!"

Not bothering to move from Usopp's chest, Mae greeted them with a smile and a short wave. "Here we are!"

"Oi!" Chopper slid next to Mae and examined her arm curiously. "Who bandaged you up?"

"Huh?" Mae lifted her elbow up and pulled against the sling that kept her arm in place. It was a hassle to have, but it kept her from constantly moving her arm and making the injury worse. "The nurses in the hospital wrapped it. I wanted to wait for you, but they refused to take no for an answer."

"They did a good job!"

Mae shrugged carelessly. "You would have done a better job."

Obvious egotism washed over Chopper and he started to wiggle his hips from side to side. Swatting his hands at her, he beamed bashfully. "Oh, shut up you dummy! I would have, wouldn't I?"

With a soft laugh, Mae gave him a gentle pat on the head in reassurance. "You would have."

"So," Nami stepped forward, "how did it go? Were you able to deliver the information?"

Habitably biting on her lower lip, "Yes, but we ran into a problem along the way." Mae mumbled.

Zoro inclined his head back and stared up at the sky. "But we handled it."

"A problem?" Brook repeated. "What kind of problem?"

There was a long pause.

A questionably long pause.

Mae drew a finger over Usopp's chest, thoughtfully drawing circles. She debated whether or not to go into details about what happened. Was it important enough to bother with? With a side glance, she peered up at Zoro for an answer, but his attention was elsewhere. For a moment, she wondered if he remembered anything that happened between them or if things were still fuzzy.

When he noticed that she was staring at him, his concentration broke from the clouds and he looked down at her. It was then that she knew. She knew that he remembered every single bit of what happened.

The intensity of his stare caused her to sink back into her own skin. He's never intimidated her before, but for some reason, in that moment, she felt small and confused. Confused about the pestering emotions that kept stirring back up every time he looked at her.

"Hello?" Nami chirped up. "What was the problem?"

Mae's eyes darted over to Nami. Licking her dry tongue over the roof of her mouth, she shifted uncomfortably on Usopp's chest. Quick to arrange the words in her head, she waved a casual hand over her shoulder. "Nothing really, we just ran into two elders."

"What?!"

Mae toppled over at Usopp's outburst, his body flying upward. Pressing an elbow behind her, she brought herself back up and regained her composure. Still sitting on his chest, she placed a hand to his shoulder and pushed him back down.

"Don't worry, we took care of them."

"How many elders did you say there were?" Brook asked, counting his fingers.

"Four." Zoro answered, his eye still lingering over Mae.

She tried to pretend that she didn't notice him staring, but it wasn't easy.

A headache thrummed against Nami's temple. Resting a tired hand on her hip, she looked at everyone. "Then that leaves one more."

"Which is who Luffy must be fighting!" Chopper decided. "Unless he ran into someone else..."

Usopp gulped. "Don't tell me there are more?! I don't want to deal with another one of them!"

Nami looked up thoughtfully. Her eyebrows knitted together as she thought about it. "I'm positive that he was fighting the last one."

With a heaved sigh, Mae stood up and offered Usopp a hand. "Thanks for catching me by the way."

"I wasn't trying to catch you! You jumped on me!" He disputed, taking her hand and scrambling to stand up.

"Have you guys seen Robin or Franky?" Chopper asked. "We haven't heard from them."

Pinching her lips together, Mae shook her head.

"All right," Nami lowered her gaze, "we should split up and try to find the others. It's been a while since we've heard from Sanji too."

"I could stay here and keep watch!"

Reaching out, Nami took a hold of Usopp's ear and yanked him to her side. "You're coming with us. We might need you."

Chopper stared at the giant plus sign on the building next to them. "I think I'm going to stay behind and see if they need my help here."

Kneeling down next to him, Mae set a hand on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "That's a good idea. I heard that they've been getting a lot of patients today."

"Really?"

Using the wall for support, splaying her fingers across the surface, Mae stood back up. " _Rumor has it_ ," she began with a smirk, looking over at Zoro who rolled his eye, "the guards aren't going after the slaves anymore."

"Wait, what?" Nami's mouth twitched. "That doesn't make sense, what happened?"

Mae shrugged. "We have no idea. Apparently the guards are fighting along side the slaves now and not against them."

"But who would they be fighting?" Brook asked. "Aren't there only the guards and elders?"

Zoro's jaw flexed. "I'm going to take a guess and say that they are fighting against the GN soldiers."

"GN soldiers?" Usopp scratched at the back of his head. "What are GN soldiers?"

"They're robots controlled by guards." Mae answered.

"That's who was with Emiliee." Nami looked over at Brook. "That man, GN 20, he was one of them."

"He wasn't so bad!" Usopp twisted around and flexed his arm. "I took him down quick!"

"If they're robots controlled by guards, then why are they fighting the other guards? Wouldn't they want to stand by their friends?" Chopper asked.

Mae's skin flushed with anger. "I'm guessing that they're loyal to the elders, and that their friendship means nothing to them. From what I've noticed, the GN soldiers are controlled by heartless men."

Nami opened her mouth to speak, but her words were replaced by a sudden shriek in the distance.

"What was that?!" Usopp exclaimed, bouncing back with surprise. "Did you guys hear that?!"

Chopper hesitated to speak, his tongue drying out. "W-What was that?!"

"It sounded like a kid." Nami frowned, spinning around and looking in the direction that the scream came from.

The scream rose back up and echoed off of the walls. This caused Mae's heart to drop and her entire body to burn from the inside out. Without a word, she cast a furious eye to ground and listened carefully. When another howl came from the background, she didn't waste another second and started sprinting down the road at a wing-footed pace.

"M-Mae! Where are you going?!" Usopp reached out to catch her by the wrist, but she was already out of range.

Nami combed a hand through her hair with frustration. "Don't tell me that she has a habit of running off too!"

Chopper ran a few steps after her, but stopped and turned back to the group. He was washed over with worry. "Should we go after her?"

"She's moving quick!" Brook exclaimed. "Where is she going?"

"Hey!" Nami stomped her foot against the ground, drastically gesturing an arm out as Zoro started to run after her. "Where are _you_ going?!"

Zoro ignored Nami and with heavy foot steps, he followed after Mae. With every turn that she made, he was right behind her making the same turn. And because the streets were constructed in an endless stretch, it made it easier for him to keep tract of her every step without losing sight of her.

He couldn't understand why he started to run after her. And the further he ran, the more he questioned his own actions. He couldn't explain the feeling that washed over him. All he knew was that the second he saw the distress in her face, he had to be at her side.

Mae was completely unaware that she was being followed. Her mind was reeling with sickly thoughts while her stomach tied itself up in knots. The scream was a constant burn in her memory and she knew that scream well enough to know that it came from Brox. She had heard his cries before and they had become woefully recognizable.

The scream vibrated against her ear drums again. This made her drive her feet into the ground with great strength, pushing herself to the breaking point and sprinting faster down the street. When she reached a corner, she took a light pole in her hand and used it for support as she turned sharp on her foot. When she did this though, she stumbled over an object in the road and collapsed to the ground.

In the process, she tripped Zoro with her body.

"Dammit!" He shouted, collapsing on top of her.

Mae's face twisted excruciatingly, her broken arm crushing under both her and his body. Forcefully rolling herself around, she stared up at Zoro with disbelief, her body now sprawled out beneath his.

"What are you doing?!"

Lifting himself up with a groan, he held a hand on either side of her head. "What are _you_ doing?! Why did you run off?!" He barked, snarling down at her.

Shifting under him, Mae lifted herself up on an elbow, her chest pressing against his in the process. Touching her nose to his with force, she glared at him. "I was trying-"

"-You need to learn to watch where you're running!" He snapped, pushing his nose against her's in return.

With vexation, she slammed her forehead against his. "Why are you even following me?!"

Zoro tossed his head back with a groan. Furrowing his brows, he fixed his head back right and stared hard into her eyes. He tried to come up with a reason as to why he was following her, but the truth was, he wasn't entirely sure. It wasn't like him to just up and leave without an explanation.

"Well?" Mae looked into his eye and then at the red mark on his forehead.

She _almost_ felt bad for hurting him.

When he didn't answer, she shoved her shoulder against his, gesturing for him to get off. The motion didn't phase him though. And rather than moving, he stayed on top of her. It didn't occur to her how close they were until she noticed his hot breath brushing against her face.

"Isn't this a cute sight?" A woman sighed hopelessly from beside them.

Confused, Mae inclined her head to the side. That is when she finally took notice to the woman who was standing close by. It took her a couple of seconds to realize who it was, but once she recognized her, she narrowed her eyes dangerously.

"You."

"Me." Ze've whispered menacingly.

Mae's cheek twitched. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to make sure that the celebrations continue tomorrow." Ze've said, pointing the staff that she was holding in their direction.

Mae knew right then that it wasn't just a piece a scrap that she tripped over on the road.

The twitch in her cheek transferred to her eye. "I already told you... There won't be a tomorrow."

Combing a hand through her blond hair, Ze've bowed her head and laughed under her breath. "That's what you think."

In the background, the same unsteady cry bounced against the walls around them. This stole Mae's attention. Gnawing on her lower lip, she went blurry eyed, lost in her own thoughts.

"Oh?" Ze've hummed mockingly. "It sounds like someone's having troubles."

Standing up, Zoro moved on a sharp foot and stood ready fight. Before he could do anything though, Mae blinked herself back to reality and followed after him, resting a hand on his shoulder. "I'll take care of her."

Keeping a close eye on the woman, he shifted his foot. "Are you sure?"

Mae watched Ze've with a distrusting eye. "I'm positive." Reluctantly, she slowly rose her eyes to Zoro. "Just promise me that you'll take care of Viske."

"Viske?"

In realization, Mae shook her head and scolded herself mentally. "Brox. Take care of Brox."

Typically, Zoro would stand back and let a person take care of themselves when asked, but with Mae, he was hesitant. And she could see the hesitation in his eye. Turning her back on Ze've, having complete trust that Zoro would protect her if the woman decided to play dirty, she took a hold of his face with both of her hands.

Pulling him down to her height, she pressed their foreheads together. "Please, take care of him. Zoro, he's just a kid. Promise me that you'll find him."

Zoro fought to yank his head back, but not enough to actually pull away. "Whatever, just let go."

With a grateful smile, she stood up on the tips of her toes and kissed his forehead. "Thank you."

The soft touch of her lips caused a blush to rise across his cheeks. Stammering back, he stared down at her with confusion, disbelief and feign anger. "Don't do that!"

With a smirk, "Do what?" she badgered, pulling him back down and kissing his forehead again. "This?"

"Okay, I understand that ugly people need love too, but this is just gross."

Mae's mouth opened, but all that came out was an awkward "Oh". She had been so caught up in harassing him, like she would Viske, she didn't realize that he was in fact, not her younger brother.

Clearing her throat, she stood back from him. "Let's pretend that didn't happen."

"That's going to be hard to forget." Ze've gagged, sticking a finger in her mouth.

Rubbing two frustrated fingers against her forehead, Mae turned her back on Zoro and faced Ze've. "Then how about I help you forget."

* * *

Jael and Sanji knelt down next to the steel door that stood between them and the control room. It didn't take them long to find the main center. And because of Sanji's experience with stealth, he was able to get them through the Kingdom without being spotted by a GN soldier or anyone else that would be a problem.

With his back pressed against the wall, avoiding the cameras, Jael raised a hand and held up three fingers. "On the count of three..." He whispered, slowly bringing a finger down one at a time.

Before he his last finger was down though, Sanji swung himself around and kicked his foot hard against the door. "Three!" The swift jolt caused the door to snap off of it's hinges and fly across the room, crashing against a soundboard and taking down a couple of guards along the way.

Jael stared at Sanji with bewilderment. "Come on now! That wasn't part of the plan!" He exclaimed over the loud alarms.

Sanji stood in the middle of the dust cloud that was created. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cigarette, shoved it into his mouth and then lit it. "Your plan wasn't going to work." He said after inhaling a lungful of the nicotine.

"And you think that this is going to work?! Just busting in?!"

"We're in, aren't we?"

Ducking down, Jael dodged an oncoming attack from two guards. Sliding his leg under them, he knocked them both to the ground. "Yeah, but now we have to move even faster!"

Sanji took the initiative and walked into the room. Tangoing with the guards, avoiding their multiple attacks, he gracefully jumped into the air and then spun himself in a circle. In one nimble kick, he was able to knock out more than half of the men.

Landing stylishly back on the ground, he turned and faced Jael. "We'll have these guys taken care of in no time."

Sneering, "I'm not worried about them!" Jael shouted, his voice being drowned out by the alarms, "I'm worried about that!" He continued, motioning to the right.

Slamming his foot against the back of a guard's neck, knocking him out of the way, Sanji drew his attention to where Jael was gesturing. That's when he noticed a guard crawling along the floor. The man's leg was broken, but even then, he carefully pulled himself towards a small pedestal.

"If he presses that button," Jael sidestepped an attack, "it's all over."

Leaning back, evading a guard's sword, "What do you mean it's all over?" Sanji asked.

"That's a second alarm."

Sanji skipped back on a foot, avoiding another attack. "And?"

"And that isn't an alarm to alert the elders."

Stomping over to Jael, Sanji grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him close. "Would you quit being vague and just tell me what it's for!"

"The marines! It's to contact the marines!"

"The marines?!" Sanji let Jael go and immediately turned to the man who was still crawling towards the pedestal. With a quick foot, he lifted up debris from the broken door and flung it at him. The heavy object landed over half of his body and crippled him from moving any further.

"Why didn't you tell us that they had that?! That could have been bad!"

Jael raised his hands up in defense. "I forgot about it!"

"Next time try to remember important things like that!"

Waving a dismissing hand, Jael walked over a pile of guards and moved to the control boards. "Before we do anything, let's turn this damn alarm off!"

Knocking down the last of the guards, Sanji poked a finger in his ear. "Hurry up already!"

Pressing button after button, "It'd be a lot easier if they marked the buttons!" Jael complained, continuing to try to find the right one.

While Jael worked on turning the alarm off, Sanji moved across the room. Noticing a large metal box on the wall, he curiously pried it open and inspected the cords on the inside. He wasn't tech savvy, so he didn't know what the cords were linked to or what they controlled.

Looking over his shoulder, "What is this box for?" He asked Jael.

Jael ignored him while proceeding to press buttons. He was keen to turn off the obnoxious ringing in his ears.

Thoughtfully turning his attention back to the box, Sanji reached in and took a tight hold of the wires. "Maybe this will turn off the damn alarm." He mumbled to himself. With one quick motion, he yanked them out. Sparkles bit at his hand briefly, but after that, nothing happened.

"Well, that didn't do anything."

Jael flipped the last switch on the control board and the whooping of the alarms finally came to an end. With a breath of relief, he tossed himself back onto a chair and held a hand to his head. "Finally!"

Wheeling himself around, he glanced over at Sanji. "Now, what were you saying? I couldn't hear you over the noise."

"I was asking," Sanji tossed the cords aside and nudged his head towards the box, "what's this for?"

"Oh, that-" Narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, Jael rummaged through his mind, "that's, if I'm correct, the power to the elevators."

"The elevators?"

"It's what the slaves use to come and go from the sands below."

"Huh..." Sanji mumbled, pocketing his hand and looking back at the metal box.

"Let's just hope no one needs to use them." Jael shrugged, twirling back to the controls. "But enough of that, it's time to shut this system down."

* * *

Brox stood on the top of a building with his mouth cupped, screaming until his lungs burned. He was trying to lure a handful of GN soldiers away from his father who was already fending himself from two of them.

"Brox!" Aury shouted, "what are you doing?!"

"I'm trying to help!" He replied, sucking in a long breath and then letting out another lengthy scream.

The GN soldier's changed their direction immediately, no longer pursuing Aury. Their broken faces and melted eyes were now directed on Brox. And even though they couldn't make facial expressions, irritation could be noted in their movements.

Repeatedly jumping up and down, Brox waved his good arm. "That's right, over here!"

Inch by inch, the soldiers grew near. And when they reached a certain point, Brox started to pry shingles off of the roof and throw the pieces down at them.

"Brox! I can't protect you from all of them!"

"Don't worry about me! I can handle myself!" Brox grinned, but then all at once, he slipped and fell onto his butt.

That didn't stop him though.

Sliding the heel of his foot violently against the roof, he kicked more shingles towards the GN soldiers.

"To hell with that, get off of that roof and get away from here!" Aury demanded, deflecting an attack from a soldier who was missing an arm and a leg from Franky's blast.

Without hesitation, three of the soldiers jumped onto the roof with ease. Landing in front of Brox, they stood over him, staring down with a dangerous spark in their eyes.

Brox stared up at them in shock. Their movements were so fast that he could barely process them. Stumbling back, he turned around and scrambled up the roof, the broken shingles causing him to slip and slide.

"Brox!" In horror, Aury watched as he son tried to defend himself from the oncoming soldiers.

When he reached the top of the roof, Brox looked down and then closed his eyes tight. The drop was a lot further than he expected. Opening his eyes back up, he looked behind him and at the soldiers.

They were now hovering over him, ready to strike.

With wide eyes, he rolled out of the way and avoided one of their attacks. Swinging his leg under the soldier, he tried to trip him. Because of the soldier's strength though, it didn't phase him. With a grunt, now on his back, Brox looked around for anything to defend himself with.

When he realized that there was nothing to help him, he stood up and faced the soliders head on. "Bring it!" He shouted and with all of his energy, jumped up and kicked both of his feet into a soldier's chest.

Instead of pushing the soldier off of the roof though, the momentum pushed him back and he flew backwards.

"No!" Aury screamed, reaching a hopeless hand out to his son.

Crying out helplessly, Brox grabbed at thin air. Nothing was in reach though and he continued to fall. But as he descended from the roof, a sudden force grabbed him by the arm and yanked him from his free fall.

Yelping in surprise, his body slamming into a hard chest, he looked up confused. "W-What are you doing here?!"

Swinging Brox around and over his shoulder, Zoro jumped higher onto the roof. Evading an attack from one of the soldiers, he drew out his sword. "Keeping a promise." He grunted. "Now hang on and don't get in the way."

"W-what are you-" Brox clamored, trying to speak. His words were replaced by a hollow scream, the swordsman heading straight in for an attack with him still on his back.

"You couldn't have put me down first!?"

Ignoring the hollering and screaming in his ear, Zoro slashed a clean cut right through the soldier's bodies. Shifting Brox properly on his back, he watched as the bodies slid from the roof in two halves, sparks flicking angrily from the exposed wires.

With eyes wide open, Brox leaned all of his weight over Zoro's shoulder and stared down at the mess he made with the GN soldiers. "That was awesome!"

Baring his teeth at him, "Stop yelling in my ear!" Zoro barked.

From the ground, Aury waved a hand at them. "Brox! Brox!"

"See," Brox returned the wave, "I told you that'd I'd be okay!"

"Would you quit moving so much!" Zoro snapped, fighting to keep Brox from leaning over his shoulder too far and falling off.

"Please," Aury could barely speak, happiness choking him, "please take care of my son."

"I already promised one person that I would." Zoro answered, taking his eyes off of Aury and examining the battle ground.

In the distance he caught sight of Franky who was warding off a substantial amount of GN soldiers.

"Strong right!" Franky's fist struck out and smashed into five soldiers, sending them back and into a building.

When he started to reel his hand in, one of the soldiers off to the side changed their arm into a spear and jabbed the tip of it into the ground and between the loops in the chain.

"Not again!" Franky groaned, the gears scraping as he tried to bring his fist back.

Grabbing the chain that extended from his body, two of the soldiers began to stretch and yank at it relentlessly. Franky could hear the gears in his arm bending and snapping.

With a snarl, he raised his left arm out and pointed his open palm to them. "You're going to regret doing that!"

Revealing the multi-barreled machine gun in his wrist, he aimed it directly at the soldiers. Not wasting another second, he powered it up and shot at them. This time, because of the damage from his previous blast, the bullets were strong enough to pierce through their metal bodies.

Stumbling back from the force, the soldiers let the chain go. The attack did some damage, but it wasn't enough to stop them. And shortly after the bullets stopped flying, they were back in position and ready to fight.

Before they could attempt to hold him down again, Franky reeled his fist back in. When it connected into his wrist, he noticed that it fit crookedly.

"Ugh! What a pain!" He whined out irritability.

"Hey," Zoro called out, "Franky!"

"Huh?" Fiddling with his crooked hand, Franky looked over his shoulder confused. When he saw Zoro, he perked up. "Oh! Hey!"

Nudging his head towards Brox, "I'm going to get the kid out of here." Zoro explained.

Knowing that the cyborg could take care of himself, he didn't offer to help. And not only did he know that Franky could handle the fight, he knew that the Straw Hat pirates typically preferred handling their own battles.

"All right, I'm just about done playing with these guys!" He said with a cocky grin, giving a thumbs up.

* * *

Standing at the edge of the breach in the sand, Luffy held a hand to his forehead and inspected the massive hole. Because the sand continuously poured into it, it created a thick blanket of dust, making it difficult for him to see anything.

Searching the screen of dust, he tried to pinpoint where the Head had landed. Frustrated, he took a single step forward, trying to get a closer look. When he did this though, he ended up losing his balance and slipped downward with the sand.

"AAAH!" Holding onto his straw hat, he coasted down at a rapid speed.

It didn't take him long to reach the bottom. And when he did, he spun and drifted across the floor, smashing into a nearby building. With his legs kicked up and his back against the floor, he stared up at the giant opening in a daze.

Robin, who was nearby and saw the entire scene, moved to assist her captain. Waving an arm in the air, she greeted him eagerly. "Luffy!"

Confused, Luffy lifted his head up from the floor and looked around to see who called his name. "Huh?

When he caught sight of Robin, "Robin! What are you doing down here?" He asked, surprised to see her.

"It's a long story." She said, briefly glancing at the noxious sand that flowed down from the giant hole.

It was only a matter of time before the tunnels and villages were drowned beneath the deadly grains.

Swirling his body around and into a seated position, Luffy crossed his legs and took in the scenery around him. "Where are we?"

"This is where the slaves live." She explained, gesturing towards the rickety buildings.

A disagreeable feeling stirred inside of Luffy's stomach. "They _live_ here?"

Before Robin could answer him, a man rose up from the sand and advanced towards Luffy at a great speed. His actions were so quick that the he didn't have time to react. And in seconds the man had a tight hold on his neck, pinning him against the building.

"You'll regret this." He snarled, pinching his fingers around his throat.

"Luffy!" Robin cried out with surprise, taking a step back instinctively.

The minute the man touched Luffy, his entire body sank into his grip. "I... Got this..."

Robin made a move to assist him, but he groaned for her to stay back, straining against the man's hold. "Nnnn... Elder... Nnnn Sea prism stone."

Cautiously, Robin paced back. "Did you say sea Prism stone?"

"Nnnn.." Luffy moaned, his head rolling to the side weakly.

"Yes," now looking at Robin, the man held out his other hand to her, "I'm covered in it."

Robin observed his finger tips. On every finger was a fragment of sea prism stone. Seeing this caused her mind to racked through a disarray of thoughts. If this man was an elder, then he had a devil fruit power like the others. But if he had a devil fruit power, how is it that he is covered in sea prism stone?

Robin couldn't figure it out.

Bringing his attention back to Luffy, the man yanked him from the wall. Tossing him aside like a rag doll, he then dusted his hands off and fixed his focus back on Robin.

"Confused? I presume that you've heard about me, am I correct?"

"No." Robin answered honestly, her single word bringing a sneer to the man's face.

"But you seem surprised."

"You're a devil fruit user, are you not? How is it that you have sea prism stone on your body?"

"Ah," The man tisked, "so you've heard the rumors."

"I've heard a lot of things."

"Yes, it's true that my fellow allies have devil fruit powers, but my power is only a rumor."

"A rumor?"

"While Emiliee, Trist and Reih ate the devil fruits we were given, I myself couldn't do it."

"You had a choice to eat one, and you didn't?" Robin murmured skeptically.

"Mmm." The man mumbled indifferently. "I did and I didn't."

"Why didn't you? Thousands of people would give up anything to get their hands on a devil fruit."

With a smirk, the man ran a hand over his bald head coolly. "I prefer a good dip in the ocean than a pointless power."

"Then why is there a rumor that you have devil fruit powers?"

"How does any rumor start? Assuming and talking. People assumed that because the other three had powers, that I did as well. And because they assumed, they started to talk and the rumor spread."

"And you didn't correct them?"

"Why would I? It put more fear into them."

When Robin opened her mouth to speak, the man held up a hand and interrupted her. "Excuse me a moment."

Raising a finger to his ear, he pressed a small device that was inside of it. "What."

With a dreary sigh, "It's Aro. Who else would it be?" He snapped.

"Aro..." Robin whispered, taking a side glance as she processed the name.

"He's the head." Luffy informed Robin, climbing out of the sand and dusting his body off.

Aro ignored them and continued to talk to the voice on the other end of the device. "Put Emiliee through."

There was a long pause.

"What do you mean she isn't available? Where is she?"

Aro's face contorted irritably, his hand closing into a tight fist.

"Then put Trist through."

Another long pause followed after his demand.

"She's what?! And Reih?!"

Without another word, he tore out his ear piece and threw it on the ground. Swearing angrily, he stomped his foot over the device and crushed it. "Useless bastards!"

Throwing his arm out, he snarled at Luffy and Robin. "I guess I'll have to take care of you guys myself."

"Robin!" From the background a group of slaves emerged from the tunnels with more following behind. "Robin there's a problem!"

Catching sight of the slaves, Aro's eyes flashed with hate. "This is your fault. You pieces of shits couldn't just keep your mouths shut and continue to do what you do best!"

He bit his teeth down so tight, they started to crack.

With realization, Robin stumbled towards the men and held out her hands motioning for them to stand back. "Don't come any closer! You need to get out of here now!"

"B-But-" The men fumbled over their words, pointing at the tower. "The tower's been sealed by sand, and the power's not working in the elevators! We can't use them! We can't get anyone to the surface!"

"Luffy!" Robin looked to her captain with concern, fearful that Aro would direct his rage on the innocent men standing by.

With a firm nod, Luffy positioned himself in front of Robin and the slaves, protecting them from the man. "I'll take care of him."

Raising his hands out and tightening sprawled fingers, Aro shook his arms firmly. "You- You- I'm going to make sure-"

Luffy didn't give the man a chance to finish his sentence. Launching an attack, he pounded a fist into the man's face, sending him into a nearby building. The power of the attack caused the structure to collapse. And when it toppled down, it created a domino effect. Soon, one after another, neighboring buildings started to topple down.


	32. ANNOUNCEMENT

A.N.N.O.U.C.E.M.E.N.T

* * *

Reverence.

Reverence is being competely re-written / renamed and added to Wattpad

If you are interested in following the story on Wattpad, please feel free to add me. My name is DannyLaurelle.

I will continue to update here. Have a great day everyone. :)


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